A/N - So I've had to change the rating of this story to M. I think it could potentially get away with a T but I don't want it to be pulled down. If the themes of M offend you, then perhaps you might not want to continue on.
I'm really sorry that I haven't replied to everyone directly who has reviewed - had a crazy busy week but I'm hoping to get round to it later as I have read them all and as usual, they made me smile :) Will try and update The Embargo later today - the next chapter is almost done.
Shutting up now. Please review at the end if you enjoyed/hated/got angry ;) xxx
Chapter 6
Elena leaned against the front door of her apartment as she turned the key in the lock. Never had it felt this good to be home. She sighed with tiredness as it stuck a little as she pushed it, knocking her hip against it with what little force she had left in her body. Stefan hadn't left the light on and she reached for it wearily. Frowning at the open bedroom door, she saw that he wasn't asleep in their bed, nor was he on the couch. Her watch said 4am. Too early then, for a session at the gym - not that he'd been in a long while. She scanned the counter for a note, then checked the coffee table and bedside cabinet when she didn't find what she was looking for.
"Stefan?"
No answer. Just as she was picking up her phone, her heart speeding up to near-panic mode, a banging on the front door made her jump.
"Elena?"
It was clearly Stefan's voice. And he was clearly drunk. "I've lost my keys!" He was shouting and slurring, and Elena practically ran to open the door before they received complaints from the neighbours.
"You look good," he told her. He really must be drunk, Elena thought. She looked like crap.
"You look like you had a good time," she replied, closing their door behind him as he shrugged off his jacket.
"I did." He bent to kiss her and smiled as he neared her mouth. "You've had lots of coffee."
Horrified, she covered her mouth, mumbling that she should clean her teeth as she rushed to the bathroom. Stefan begun to remove his clothes, leaving a trail across their living room floor and into the bedroom.
"Where did you go?" Elena asked, confused as to his entrance at 4am when she hadn't even realised he was going out. She settled into bed against his arm which he held out for her to lay upon. She was surprised to feel him kiss her hair; it had been a long time since they'd climbed into bed like this. It felt nice. It felt like it used to, when they still lived in Virginia and she only stayed over if her parents were feeling particularly liberal.
"It was Caroline's birthday drinks. I thought one of us should show up seeing as she's your best friend."
She actually didn't know how to feel. Was it wrong that the happiness she felt at at least one of them being able to attend was slightly eclipsed by the resentment she felt at having to work while he enjoyed himself? Pushing it to the back of her mind, she grunted out an "uh huh" and turned off the lamp, cloaking the room in darkness.
"I missed you tonight," he slurred-spoke into her ear, rubbing a rough hand along her side and over her hipbone to her stomach. Further south it went until his fingers dipped below the waistband of her pajama shorts. "Where were you?"
"Working," she half-sighed, not opening her legs to allow him better access, but not closing them either. She was too tired to do anything energetic but she also didn't want to knock him back again. Besides, it had been a while since they'd been...intimate.
"You work too much."
"The hospital was really busy and we need the money."
Stefan's fingers began to circle Elena's clit a little too roughly and what should have been pleasurable was a little painful. Much like her first time when she'd been nervous and worried and completely not ready. She turned fractionally so that her neck was more exposed; she'd always wanted him to nibble it - a kind of fantasy for some strange reason that she couldn't explain - but he never had. He didn't take the hint, but moved his lips to hers, pushing his tongue into her mouth. Elena found herself thinking of other times when they'd had sex; when it was slow and pleasurable and he'd made her come. It didn't happen often for her - just one of those things, her friend Bonnie had said once, some people find it more difficult than others - but when it did, God was it good. The thoughts helped her relax and she found herself opening her legs just a fraction wider. Stefan stopped his wet kisses and pulled back a little to look at her. There was a sort-of smirk playing upon his lips and Elena's thoughts flashed to Damon with his piercing blue eyes and burning touch. There was that pang of guilt again. At no point when having sex with her boyfriend should she be thinking about another man, regardless of what the thoughts were.
"We don't do this enough," Stefan told her, pushing a finger inside of her. Elena sucked in a breath at the sudden intrusion. It hurt. He continued to kiss her and she felt herself tense further as his thumb went back to rubbing circles. A small whimper escaped her lips as she screwed her eyes shut, desperately searching her mind for memories of this when it was good; sweeter.
"Stefan," she breathed. "I'm…"
He grinned, misreading her tone and closed eyes for pleasure as he shimmied out of his underwear, removing his finger and thumb. Elena felt her body relax at the reprieve.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not-" And then she was silenced by the most horrific pain imaginable as she felt her shorts pull to the side. Her eyes snapped shut as a searing pain tore through her insides. There was a strange noise filling her ears, and it was only after a few seconds that she realised it was coming from her. Everything seemed to be in slow motion: the way Stefan's eyes were shut as he slammed into her; her heaving breaths of panic because, what was happening? Her fingers clenching around the bedsheets; his hands tightening around her wrists for leverage; her thoughts as she realised she needed to get away. None of it made sense.
"Stefan stop!" There were tears rolling down her cheeks. When had those started? "Stefan!"
He opened his eyes as he slammed into her, the green of his irises replaced almost entirely with black.
"Please stop. You're hurting me."
The look that crossed his face was one Elena had never seen before. It wasn't guilt and it wasn't regret. It was more like...annoyance? He pulled out of her and her eyes widened as he said absolutely nothing, simply getting up with his hand wrapped around himself and making his way to the bathroom. The pain in her chest was actually worse than the pain in her abdomen. Curling into the tightest ball she could, legs crossed tightly, Elena stared at the wall in front of her in an attempt to make sense of what had just happened. Was it...No. Because she'd have had to have stated no. That she didn't want to have sex. And she hadn't said that. If anything, she'd given a silent invitation with the way she'd opened her legs just that fraction. She'd led him on. But if it was her fault, why did her chest feel like this? Like something inside of her was broken.
She heard the flush of the toilet, the click of the light turning off followed by heavy footsteps towards the bed. The mattress dipped and she felt her heart rate speed up as she held a breath, waiting for a rough hand to sweep across her skin. It never came. The breath she let out then was silent but there seemed to be some sort of noise in her ears - like the ringing after a night in a club with too-loud music. She was exhausted. Sleep never came.
X
"What are you having for lunch today?" Damon asked Elena as she pulled on a pair of gloves. With purpose, she picked up a cotton wool ball, soaking it in the warm water before squeezing out its contents. He frowned. "Earth to Elena!"
She jumped back as he waved a hand in front of her face, dropping the soaked cotton wool on his gown.
"If you want a wet t-shirt contest, you have to join in too," a smirk curled upwards on his lips. She didn't answer.
"Elena? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." It was almost a whisper. She picked up the soaked ball, placing it on the tray before focusing on the wet patch of his gown. "Sorry. I'll get you a new gown."
"It'll dry," he shrugged, wincing when the movement aggravated the wound.
"No, it's fine, I'll get you-"
"-Elena," he reached for her wrist but she flinched, a short gasp bursting from her lips.
"Be right back."
She practically ran out of the room towards the supply closet, her heart pounding in her ears. Her face felt like it was burning and when she reached forward to grab a clean gown, she realised that her hand was shaking. Breathing out slowly, she leant against the shelf, closing her eyes in an attempt to calm herself.
She'd spent the previous day and night avoiding Stefan at all costs. That meant leaving the apartment early - too early considering the amount of hours she'd worked - and returning late. She hadn't known what to say when she'd climbed into bed, holding her body rigid on the edge of the mattress. This wasn't like the last time, when he'd turned up at the hospital with a bunch of gerberas. Last time. But last time was a misunderstanding; it wasn't the same as the other night. Elena Gilbert was not a victim. She was professional. And she was not going to let whatever the... thing the other night was, to affect her work.
Opening her eyes, she took a deep breath and removed the gown from its home on the shelf, striding purposefully back towards Damon's room.
"New gown," she held it up with a small smile. "Maybe I'll finish the redressing first thought in case of any more klutz moments."
"You did mention you suffered from those," he smiled back and an image of her wrists being gripped tightly flashed across her mind.
"I did." Pulling the gloves back on her hands, Elena ignored Damon's questioning look. "You were asking me a question?"
"What?"
"Earlier, before I dropped the cotton wool and soaked your gown. You asked me something."
"Oh. I wondered what you were having for lunch."
She almost laughed. "Have you run out of sarcastic comments?"
"I'm just taking an interest in my doctor."
One of Elena's perfectly-sculpted brows raised a fraction. "A cream cheese bagel."
"Ah, I see. Well, I see your cream cheese bagel and raise you a delicious slab of cardboard lasagne."
She actually did laugh at that. "I'm good."
"The food here sucks."
"Haven't bought lunch from the cafeteria since my first day," she grinned. "And I don't think that counts as taking an interest. More like bartering."
"Help a poor, gunshot victim out? My nonna would be ashamed of me if I let that excuse for lasagne pass my lips."
"I hadn't realised you were Italian."
Her hands were back to sweeping a soaked cotton wool ball - deftly this time - around the edges of his new wound, carefully wiping away the pus that was making him cringe.
"Did the surname not give it away?"
"I guess I just hadn't thought."
They were quiet for a few minutes as she took her time to ensure the wound was completely cleaned before getting the new dressing and tape ready. As usual, Damon kept his fingertips on the white gauze as she taped down the edges, smoothing them over with her thumb.
"So can you cook?" she asked.
"Only the best damn spaghetti and meatballs you've ever eaten."
"That's quite the proclamation."
"You'd be proclaiming the same if you'd eaten them."
"If you say so."
Elena finished smoothing over the tape and gathered her equipment onto the tray.
"When I'm out of here and in full working cooking order, I'll make you some and you can see for yourself."
That comment shouldn't have made her feel like it did. Not sure what to say in reply, Elena simply nodded and handed him the new gown. "I'll leave you to it."
She was almost out of the door before she heard a sort-of strangled moan, and turning around, she saw Damon's face twisted in agony, his old gown hanging off one shoulder.
"Think I just ripped my stitches," he grimaced, lying back down against the pillow in defeat.
Sighing softly, she placed the tray back down on the table and peeled back his gown. He had indeed ripped a couple of the stitches.
"I'll get Dr Mikaelson."
"Are you not qualified to do it?"
"I'd like his opinion. Besides, you'd probably prefer a male to help you with your gown."
He raised an eyebrow. "I have nothing to hide."
Elena felt a blush creeping across her cheeks. "I'll get him anyway."
X
"Seriously Elena, you need to make Stefan come out with us more. He's so funny."
Elena took a small bite of her bagel and instantly felt full. She might as well have traded it with Damon for his cardboard lasagne. The blonde was heating up a huge bowl of pasta in the microwave as she searched the cutlery drawer for a fork. "Seriously, why do people steal forks?! I swear there were like twelve in here the other day!"
"You have a good time?"
"The best. It was 4am before we got home, and by home, I mean Tyler's place," she smirked as she turned towards the brunette who was prodding her bagel as though it was some sort of foreign object. "We missed you though."
"I wish I could have been there." It was the truth. That...thing… between her and Stefan almost definitely wouldn't have happened if she had.
"Well when you're not being a slave to work and covering Klaus' British ass with your professionalism, we need to go back because seriously, they were the best damn margaritas of my life. What did you get up to anyway?"
"Oh you know," Elena shrugged, "changing drips, handing out medication, cleaning bullet wounds. All that fun stuff."
"Speaking of bullet wounds," Caroline began, "What's the deal with sexy Salvatore? The cops were in his room when I came down here."
"The cops were here!?" Her voice was too high-pitched to be casual. "What for?"
"And here's me thinking you'd know. You spend more time with him than the rest of us put together. Thought you'd have been able to draw a few secrets out of him with your soft fingers routine." There was a smirk playing across her lips and a sort-of strange, knowing look in her eyes. "Or is that saved for when you need to rest somewhere other than the break room?"
"He told you that?"
"Not Damon. Klaus." Her blue eyes were shining brightly. Elena felt a little sick.
"Please don't mention this to anyone. I was just tired and it seemed a long way to walk and-"
"-Relax Elena!" Caroline laughed. "I'm not going to tell Stefan if that's what you mean. So what? You were tired and you fell asleep next to his bed. Could've happened in any room."
Except, Elena thought, it wouldn't have. And it was the best damn thirty minutes sleep she'd had in ages. But now she was thinking about the police. Why were they here? Was he in trouble? If she was honest with herself, of course she knew he must be. Nobody gets shot on two separate occasions by accident. She'd check on him later - after her break. And then another thought crossed her mind: why should she care? She didn't know him and he'd had no visitors; that should be warning enough. But Elena didn't feel danger around him. She felt strangely...safe. Like even from a hospital bed, he'd be the kind of guy to protect and worry about others. About her. She shook her head. She was getting carried away.
"How about we go for margaritas tonight?" Elena asked as the ping of the microwave sounded. "I could use a good night out."
"As if I'd say no."
"Girls' night?" She just didn't want to go back to her apartment until she absolutely had to. Until she knew Stefan would be asleep.
Caroline's face spread into a wide grin. "Definitely. I need to fill you in on the whole Tyler thing."
"Can't wait."
