"Stripped"
Chapter 10: Reflections
What the hell was he thinking?
What the hell was she thinking?
Why the hell did he do that?
What the fuck was going on?
Those were just some of the thoughts that were racing through Damon's mind as he drove away as fast as he could from Bella's.
All he was going to do was go upstairs and ask her where she had hidden the whiskey, but when he saw her trying to get that dress off he just froze. She twirled around and although it was to try to unlace the damn thing, to Damon it was in slow motion and he got the complete 360 view of Bella in that dress. At the party she had look great, but he had been too occupied with the psycho family to really notice her. Standing in her doorway just the two of them he was able to really appreciate the gown and how it looked on her. It had clutched to her torso as it accentuated every curve until the skirt flared out. She looked so at home in that time period; secretly Damon had always believed Bella was the girl that fit that timeless beauty saying. No matter what time period Bella could fit in it.
Something took over him as he came in after she started putting herself down; he just couldn't let her do it. He wanted her to see what he saw…wait is that what he saw?
Damon started to think to the first time Bella and he had met. Consequently it was also the same night he had met Elena.
.*.*.*.*.*.
Over Two Years Ago:
"Elena," Bella called somewhat while stumbling down the road.
She shook her head; yep she was drunk and now Elena was gone.
"Elena, come on where are you? Don't let Matt ruin the entire night, he's just confused." Bella called again.
"Hi," A smooth yet dangerously toned voice said behind her.
Bella spun around and hiccupped, "Hi, can I help you?"
"Maybe," The guy replied.
He stepped into the light and Bella got a good look at him. He was older, early to mid-twenties, wearing a black leather jacket, black t shirt, and jeans. Bella had to admit to herself that he was gorgeous; jet black hair perfectly in place, great chiseled jaw line, and it was obvious by the way his clothes clung to his body that he worked out, but what drew Bella in were his eyes. The ice blue crystals seemed to draw her to him and weave a spell around her.
"Okay what can I maybe help you with?" Bella asked shaking her head trying to clear it both from the booze and his gaze, "As you can see I'm in the middle of something."
"You're looking for someone," the guy replied while walking closer towards her, "Young, pretty girl, long straight black hair, brown eyes…"
"Yes," Bella said tense, "You've seen her?"
"Her parents picked her up about five minutes ago." The guy said with a shrug.
"Oh," Bella said, relieved, "Okay well thanks."
Bella started to walk away, but the guy stopped her.
"Don't I get a reward?" the guy asked.
"Like what?" Bella questioned.
"Like your blood." The guy replied and his face changed.
"Oh no," Bella said and held up her hand, flinging the guy back towards a tree, "My blood is off limits." She said before she hiccupped.
The guys stood up and brushing his jacket off, "Easy on the leather there, it's expensive."
"Like you paid for it." Bella countered, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.
"Don't do that," the guy replied.
"Don't do what?" Bella asked.
"Roll your eyes; it makes you less attractive." The man said simply.
Bella laughed, "The day I take advice from a vampire is the day I fall for the cheesy lines of Tyler Lockwood."
"You're a witch," the guy said as he stared to circle her.
"Wow you're a genius," Bella replied sarcastically, "How did you ever guess?"
"Well throwing me into a tree with a wave of your hand was a big clue," the guy replied smirking. "You aren't afraid of me."
"Oh I'm sorry, am I bruising your obviously huge ego?" Bella asked. "Okay let me try this," Bella changed her voice into an annoying nasally one, "Oh please Mr. Vampire, don't drink my blood; somebody help, help, help."
The guy laughed, "You have a sense of humor…I like that. What's your name?"
"You first," Bella countered.
"Damon," the guy replied.
"Bella," Bella said, "So what brings you to Mystic Falls Damon? I'm sure it's not the abundance of humans."
"You are feisty," Damon said amused, "I like you."
"Blood is still off limits." Bella replied more sternly.
Suddenly images flashed through her mind of Wickery Bridge and she swayed. Damon was at her side in an instant and steadied her.
"You okay?" He asked concerned.
"I'm sorry I've got to go." Bella said while moving away before she started running down the road.
.*.*.*.*.*.
Present Day:
Stefan had also met Bella that night when he had saved Elena. Bella dove into the water to get out Miranda and Grayson. Damon had watched from afar as Bella had performed CPR on both of them while Stefan stared shocked at the girl that looked remarkably like Katherine. When the sirens got close, she told Stefan to run otherwise the sheriff, who was part of the council, would kill him.
Damon left Mystic Falls after that and for a few months traveled, but three things never left his mind; the girl that looked like Katherine, getting Katherine out of the tomb and the strange witch named Bella. When he returned, Bella never said a word to any of her friends about what he or Stefan was. She did however throw his ass around like a ragdoll after he attacked Vicki.
He couldn't shake her from his mind so he decided to get to know her; he would be waiting outside her house to offer her a ride to school but Old Mrs. Swan would never allow it and eventually she turned her powers on him so he decided it was safer to just see her away from the house.
She was unlike anyone he knew. She was smart, beautiful, caring, and a million other things.
Damon turned off onto the highway and headed for the city. He needed to get as far away as possible.
As he drove he tried to push those thoughts away from him, wanting to forget the exchange; all they seemed to do was push back, forcing him to think about what had almost happened.
He started to think back to when everything seemed good five months after they had met
.*.*.*.*.*.
Club in Richmond – Two years ago:
"One…two…three," Damon said before he started downing shots with Bella hot on his trail.
Bella finished all her shots before him and she did a little shimmy.
"That's not fair," Damon groaned; this was the fourth time he had lost to her tonight. "You girls have the advantage with being able to open your throats."
Bella punched him in the arm and glared, "I'll have you know I have never opened my throat for anyone."
"Wait," Damon said while looking shocked, "You're telling me you're a virgin."
"Is that so hard to believe?" Bella countered.
"Well yeah," Damon replied, "I mean I've known you for five months and I'm just now finding out this important secret about you."
"Oh and here I thought me being a witch was the most important secret I have." Bella said while signaling the waitress.
"Why haven't you?" Damon asked intrigued.
Bella shook her head, "No; that is one conversation you and I are not going to have. That topic is off limits."
"Come on," Damon said while nudging her.
"No," Bella replied firmly. "I won this round again so I get to ask another question."
Damon banged his head on the table, "Don't you ever get tired of asking me questions?"
"Consider it a compliment," Bella replied, "It means you're interesting."
"You know for someone who likes to tell me my ego is too big you tend to inflate it." Damon replied, laughing.
"Why haven't you tried to take a bite out of me…other than the first time we met," Bella said.
"Because I know you can and will kick my ass," Damon replied.
"No it's more than that," Bella said. "Truth time Salvatore so spill."
"You're good company," Damon said, "You have grown on me."
"Oh I'm pretty partial to you too Damon," Bella said while smiling.
"Again?" Damon asked as the waitress brought more shots.
"You're gonna lose," Bella warned.
"We'll see," Damon said smirking.
"One." Bella said.
"Two," Damon replied.
"Three!" they both said at once and this time Damon won because he used his vampire speed.
"Not fair," Bella said while crossing her arms.
"You never set down any rules against using extra abilities." Damon replied, "So Bella why are you still a virgin?"
"What is the big deal?" Bella asked. "I don't see why sex is such a great thing."
Damon's jaw dropped and he cocked his head to the side, "Really?" He asked flabbergasted.
"Look sex just seems to complicate things," Bella said while trying to explain.
"So what are you going to do? Join a convent?" Damon asked, still shocked.
"No," Bella said after rolling her eyes, "Look one day yeah maybe I'll have sex but it just doesn't seem all that great unless you have someone you fully trust."
"What do you mean?" Damon asked.
"You're gonna laugh," Bella replied shaking her head.
"Scouts honor I won't," Damon said while raising his hand.
"I look at sex as the ultimate trust; I'm giving you all of me, baring everything, literally, and I just don't want to be hurt." Bella said.
"Have you ever been kissed?" Damon asked.
Her cheeks turned bright red, "Once and it was in 8th grade with Matt alright. Seven minutes in heaven."
"That's it," Damon said again shocked.
"You've seen Mystic Falls; you've seen the guys they have to offer. Either they are asses like Tyler or they are guys I think of as friends. There's no point in trying to force something." Bella explained.
Damon dropped the subject after that and they continued to drink. By 1:45, Bella was completely wasted and Damon had convinced her to come on the dance floor as "Angel on My Shoulder" by Kaskade came on.
They were both feeling good and Damon spun her around before he pulled her close to him as they danced together. Bella being as drunk as she was didn't care that she was rubbing her hands over Damon's chest, nor that she was grinding into him, or that she was dipping low before coming back up again.
Damon was fully enjoying it and it got him thinking about their earlier conversation. Bella had never really been kissed; one of those earth shattering ones.
Suddenly both their eyes locked and Damon pulled Bella closer to him; she went willingly and was flush against his body, moving as he did. Their eye contact never broke as they danced and the melody wove a spell around them.
As the bridge of the song started, Damon leaned down towards Bella, lifting her chin with his hand before their lips touched. It was like a shock of electricity had shot through both of them as Bella's hand came to wrap around Damon's neck and his hands pressed her closer to him. They were in perfect sync until the song ended and they broke apart, both gasping for air. Bella excused herself to the bathroom and disappeared through the crowd.
Damon headed straight for the bar, ordering another drink. Bella came out and said she was ready to go so he downed his drink and they headed home. Neither one of them spoke the entire drive until they pulled up.
"Are you drinking vervain?" Damon asked suddenly.
"No," Bella replied confused with a hint of anger and hurt. "My locket has vervain in it."
Quickly Damon snatched the locket and forced Bella to look into his eyes, "You will forget that kiss."
"I will forget the kiss," Bella said; her voice was robotic.
"We had a good time, talked, and that was all," Damon said seriously. "You will go inside and go to bed."
Bella repeated what he said; Damon put the necklace back on her and watched her walk into the house.
.*.*.*.*.*.
Present Day:
Damon punched his dashboard as he sped down the highway; for weeks after that night all he could think about was how soft Bella's lips were, how her lips moved with his, how it felt to have her pressed up against him, but he never spoke a word of it. He knew where his heart lied and it was with Elena; he knew he would never have Elena and he couldn't hurt Bella by giving her false hope so he did the only thing he could and compelled her to forget. Tonight the kiss had almost happened again and Damon mentally kicked himself.
He was still straining for Elena and he knew if anything were to happen between him and Bella, she would get hurt. He couldn't do that to her; not like that filthy Cold One had. There was no doubt in his mind that a part of him wanted Bella, but it was only a small part; he didn't love her like Elena…right?
.*.*.*.*.*.
Bella laid in the tub just soaking in the hot water. Bella hadn't paid any attention to what Caroline was rambling on about, all she could focus on was how close Damon and she had come to kissing. It was intense to say the least; she felt so drawn to him like she had to Edward. That scared her; falling that way again and then no one would be there to catch her. She wasn't ready to open up again like that; she had to stay focused on getting Klaus out of Tyler's body.
She climbed out of the tub, got dressed, and got into bed, but she was still wide awake. She put on her headphones and turned up the music in hopes that it would drown out her thoughts. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen; the first song that came on was "Behind Blue Eyes" by Limp Bizkit. Bella couldn't help but realize how much this song reminded her of Damon. As she listened to the lyrics she remembered the night that Katherine came back…the night everything started to go to hell.
.*.*.*.*.*.
Salvatore Boarding House – One Year Ago February:
"Damon," Bella called out while walking into the boarding house.
Bella walked into the living room and saw Damon standing in front of the fire.
"Damon," Bella said concerned before walking over seeing his tense face and his face contorted in anger and pain, "What's going on?"
"Katherine's back," Damon said; his eyes focused on the flames.
"What?" Bella asked shocked.
"She pretended to be Elena and I kissed her; I thought it was Elena," Damon scoffed. "I came back here and she was waiting."
"What happened?" Bella asked softly.
"I told her I would forget the last 145 years; start clean if she would just tell me she loved me. That I was the one she wanted." Damon said before he downed his drink. "She didn't, her exact words were 'It's Stefan it will always be Stefan'." Damon walked over and filled his glass again. "I went to Elena's and I tried to kiss her…the real Elena not Katherine. She told me the same thing and I snapped," He took a long drink, "I broke Jeremy's neck."
Bella's eyes got wide.
"He's fine," Damn added, "He had his ring on."
"Damon," Bella said while walking towards him carefully.
"You know I should have known," Damon continued, "I am just so blind."
"No you're not," Bella said before touching his shoulder yet he shied away.
"I'll never be good enough," Damon stated.
"You are," Bella argued.
"Please Bella," Damon scoffed, "Don't you get it? I am damaged; I will always be the second choice." He threw his glass into the fire.
"No you won't," Bella said while grabbing his arm and forcing him to look at her, "You are a good man, deep down you are. There is nothing wrong with you; sure you're a little impulsive, stubborn and yeah, you are a jerk at times, but there's nothing wrong with you. If to her you're her backup then it's her loss not yours."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Damon said while pulling away.
"Yes I do," Bella said, "Damon please."
"Get out," Damon mumbled.
"Please," Bella repeated.
"I said get out!" Damon roared before he kicked the table into the wall.
.*.*.*.*.*.
Present Day:
As the song ended Bella's mind calmed down and she drifted off to sleep.
.*.*.*.*.*.
Damon had returned back to Mystic Falls before dawn and was waiting outside of Bella's house. He didn't know why he was there; he just didn't know where else to go. Normally when he had a problem, Bella was the one he went to but how in the hell was he supposed to talk to her about this?
As the sun came up Damon got into his car and started the engine. He looked once more at Bella's house and froze. She was staring at him from out her window. Their gazes were fixed, unmoving for several minutes, until finally Damon tore his gaze away and floored the gas.
.*.*.*.*.*.
Beep.
"Damon it's me, give me a call when you get this."
Beep.
"Damon it's Bella…again, where are you?"
Beep.
"Damon come on, you can't just avoid me."
Beep.
"Please call me."
Beep.
"Seriously Damon this is really getting old. You can't hide from me and you know that."
Beep.
"Damn it, call me; we need to talk."
Beep.
"Damon you can't do this…you can't run away."
Beep.
"You know what fine, don't talk to me but don't expect me to be around when you decide you're ready to come back."
Beep.
Damon sat there as the voicemail ended and then he deleted them. He stared into the fireplace of his hotel drinking whiskey. Two days he hadn't seen Bella and she hadn't stopped calling him. He couldn't face her…not yet. He had to get his head on straight…let her down easy.
Then that nagging thought came up; you know that's not what you want.
All this time he was wrestling with what he wanted. For so long he thought it was Elena but now (just like months ago) feelings were popping back up for Bella. He had to get rid of them but could he? Did he want to? Was it possible?
The ringing of his cell interrupted his thoughts. He saw it was Elena.
"Hello," Damon said.
"Hey," Elena said nervously, "Where have you been?"
"Out of town," Damon said, annoyed, "I am allowed a vacation every once in a while."
"Right of course," Elena replied, "Look I need to talk to you."
"If Bella has put you up to this then just stay out of it." Damon said while becoming angry.
"No she didn't…well she said I needed to talk to you but she didn't force me." Elena said. "I mean I know we need to talk."
"Elena, can you just get to the point?" Damon asked while pouring himself another drink.
"I remember," Elena said and Damon froze, "I remember everything."
.*.*.*.*.*.
Earlier That Morning:
"Hey has anyone seen Damon around?" Caroline asked.
"Yeah it's been awfully quiet," Bonnie added.
"Bella?" Elena asked.
Bella shrugged, "Haven't seen him."
Caroline and Bonnie walked off to go talk to Jamie and Tyler while Elena and Bella sat in the grass.
"Is everything okay?" Elena asked.
"I want to talk to you," Bella said then took a deep breath, "You can't keep avoiding it."
"Bella," Elena said, pleading.
"No Elena," Bella said firmly, "This affects more than just you and Damon. You need to talk to him and figure this out. Find some starting point and go from there. I want you to be happy Elena and if it's with Stefan; great. If it's with Damon then that's great too but you need to talk to him."
"I know," Elena said, "You're right, it does involve more than just us."
"More than you know," Bella said quietly before she started eating her lunch.
.*.*.*.*.*.
"So I'm taking her advice," Elena said, "Damon I know I feel something for you and I know that it's powerful but I love Stefan. I love you too but I love him more."
"Sure," Damon said, "Of course."
"Damon you deserve to be someone's first choice not someone's runner up but I'm just not the girl for you." Elena explained further. "You need someone who accepts you and doesn't try to change you." Silence before Elena put in the clincher, "Someone like Bella."
"What?" Damon replied, completely shocked.
"You two are so blind," Elena said chuckling. "Everything you have ever wanted Bella is; she accepts you, she defends you, she never tries to change you and most importantly even when you hurt her, she cares for you no matter what. I see the way you look at her, protect her, trust her…you don't do that with me or anyone else; only her."
"I've got to go Elena," Damon said while trying to avoid her.
"The fact that you're trying to avoid me proves that I'm right." Elena replied.
Damon hung up and poured himself another drink. Elena had no idea what she was talking about. She was wrong…wasn't she?
A/N: Happy Halloween my dear lovely readers; I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm sorry I didn't send out any teasers for the last chapter, but I decided not to since I planned on updating today.
Thank you my dear beta Dark~Supernatural~Angel for all that you do you are an amazing person.
Review and yes this time teaser will be sent out
Again have a safe, fun, tricks, and treat filled night tonight. I will be out taking my son trick or treating then it will be a Halloween movie marathon at my house! Have a Boo-tiful night!