Sorry it's been a while. I have typed this under the influence of a very large glass of merlot so hoping desperately there are no glaring typos. Anyway, it's a little shorter than usual but I had to cut it off at the point I did.

Enjoy x


Chapter 7

Elena gripped the railing alongside the stairway as she made her way - stumbling over almost every step - from the front door of her building to that of her apartment. She had definitely had too many margaritas and the sambuca shots hadn't been the best idea either. Fumbling with her key in the lock, she finally managed to get the door open, emitting a slurred "oops" when it banged back against the kitchen counter. In an attempt to not wake Stefan who had text her four hours earlier to say that he was going to bed, Elena left the light off and navigated her way to the bathroom by touch alone. She hadn't realised before just how dark their apartment was when all of the blinds were shut and no lamps were on.

She had almost made it to the bathroom door when she tripped over something lying on the floor, sending her careering into the coffee table where she landed against some empty bottles. Of course, she was like a bowling ball and if that table had been an alley, she'd have almost certainly had a strike.

"What the fuck?" Stefan's voice boomed through the room as he flicked on the light, revealing Elena - with smudged makeup and questionably tousled hair - sprawled over the coffee table.

"Sorry!" She squeaked, though she couldn't help but chuckle at his wild appearance.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Your hair," she giggled. "It's like a hedgehog! All spiky and-"

He had his hand on the top of her arm before she'd finished her sentence or could even register what was happening.

"Look at you Elena!" he spat, wrenching her up from the floor. "I don't know what's wrong with you; you never used to come home drunk at 2am and wreck the apartment. You're a mess."

She was having trouble focusing on his face and his words seemed to whoosh through her ears as though she was on a rollercoaster. She still heard them though. Every one.

"I was trying not to wake you so I kept the light off. I tripped. Didn't know there'd be bottles-"

"-You should've used your fucking eyes then," Stefan spat again. His hand was still gripping her arm.

Elena twisted under his grip. "Stefan, you're hurting me."

"Good."

Even though she was struggling to focus, her eyes widened at that. "Good?" Her voice was a whisper.

"Maybe you'll associate being drunk with hurting and you'll stop doing it all the time."

Perhaps it was the margaritas. Or the sambuca. Or the way he was still gripping her arm like a vice, but she couldn't help the words that came out of her mouth, "You left the apartment in a mess. Not me. You drunk your way through at least ten bottles of beer today, not me. I went to work again while you stayed here again doing nothing. If you don't like it Stefan, find yourself a job and get your own friends."

She barely registered his hand leave her arm but it came across her face with the loudest slap she'd ever heard. She stumbled backwards, her legs seeming to give way in shock as her back met with the coffee table for the second time that evening. Again, the bottles crashed into each other, some falling to the floor in protest.

Elena could see Stefan's chest heaving. She could see his green eyes wide and dark with rage. She could hear her heart thumping in her ears. She could feel a tremendous heat burning across her cheek and the sharp corner of the table pressed into her back, the soft rug under her left hand and her own nails digging sharply into the palm of her right. All of these senses and yet she couldn't form any words. Couldn't move.

Stefan walked back to the bedroom and closed the door.

X

Elena stifled a yawn as she checked her face in the bathroom mirror. The concealer and foundation she'd put on back in her apartment seemed to still be covering the red mark that crossed her cheek and thankfully, the slight swelling close to her eye had died down since last night. She hadn't slept, partly because she knew she couldn't possibly share a bed with Stefan, and partly because each time she'd tried to shut her eyes on the couch, she pictured his wild, green eyes boring through her.

"I feel like crap," Caroline moaned as she caught up with Elena along the corridor moments later. "Remind me that margaritas on a work night are a terrible idea."

"Margaritas on a work night are simply a terrible idea, love." Klaus drawled into the blonde's ear, making her jump as he seemed to approach from nowhere. "Unless I'm there too."

"Urgh. My hangover just got a billion times worse," Caroline huffed, stomping off in the direction of the supply closet.

Elena rolled her eyes with a small smile. Klaus' flirting with her blonde best friend was beginning to become a highlight in her day. After all, there weren't many lately. Her other highlight was waiting patiently in his room for her to redress his bullet wound.

As Elena opened the door to Damon's room, she noticed the way his eyes seem to light up as he saw it was her. It made her feel...well, she wasn't sure, but it certainly wasn't a bad feeling.

"Good morning." She smiled. He seemed relaxed as she made her way over to his bed, taking the readings from the heart monitor as she did so.

"It just got a whole lot better."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you want something." Elena told Damon as she moved his gown to the side to inspect his wound. "Urgh."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You grunted."

"That was not a grunt."

"Well if it wasn't a grunt, would you care to explain what is was?"

"The wound looks a little infected."

"Urgh."

"Now that was a grunt."

"It was the same noise you made."

"I don't think so."

"I beg to differ."

Elena rolled her eyes as she removed the whole dressing. "I'm going to ask Dr Mikaelson for his opinion but I'd say you're likely to need some antibiotics. You're also probably going to need to stay in a little longer for monitoring."

"Are you going to be the one who patches me back up?"

Elena pulled her gloves off. "Of course. I can't let those other monkeys do it, can I?"

He smiled at her reference to his discomfort from before. "Glad to hear it."

A moment of silence fell upon them until it was punctuated by Damon's stomach rumbling loudly.

"Hungry?"

"Are you kidding? I haven't eaten properly for a week. I wouldn't give the food they serve in here to my dog!"

"You have a dog?"

"No."

"But you just said-"

"-Making a point. The point being that the food they serve in here is beyond foul."

"Well on behalf of the kitchen staff, I it makes you feel any better the mac and cheese I had the other night was pretty questionable. And I made that myself."

"From a packet?"

"Yup."

"Why am I even talking to you?" Damon faux gasped.

"Everybody has packet mac and cheese. It's like an American rite of passage."

"It's a crime against food. And not everybody has it."

"Says the Italian who cooks 'the best spaghetti and meatballs ever'."

"No need for the air quotes." Damon replied, mock-offended.

She rolled her eyes again. "I'm going to get Dr Mikaelson. I'll be back soon."

He shot her a grin and something strange happened in her stomach. "Looking forward to it."

X

After closing the door to Damon's room, Elena thought back to the previous night. The pain across her face. The sound of his hand against her skin. And then she realised that during the five minutes she'd spent with Damon, she hadn't thought about last night once. The realisation made her want to run right back into that room and talk nonsense about food or anything at all for the rest of her shift. Or the rest of the week.

"Girly chat. Supply closet. Five minutes." Caroline instructed, practically blurring past Elena in a whirl of blonde and white.

"Care, I…" she trailed off, realising her friend had rounded the corner and was no longer in hearing distance.

It turned out that the girly chat was a panicked Ohmygod-Tyler-has-a-date-with-another-girl-what-should-I-do? talk. Elena didn't have a clue what to advise.

"But what if she's prettier than me?" Caroline wailed.

"Practically impossible."

"You're prettier than me."

"Care-"

"-What if she's like, the one?"

"Then you guys weren't meant to be."

"But I like having sex with him."

Elena couldn't help but laugh. "Care, if that's your main reason for hooking up, then surely you could find someone else. I bet Matt would love it." She cocked an eyebrow. "Or Klaus."

"Ew! Elena!"

She laughed again. "Just saying."

"Just saying what?" Klaus asked, closing the supply cupboard door behind him as he faced the two trainees.

"That Damon Salvatore has a probable infection in his wound. I'd like your opinion before I administer antibiotics." Elena answered quickly.

"I'd say you could administer anything you like - Salvatore probably wouldn't care if it killed him as long as you did it." Klaus returned with a small smirk.

"Well I'd rather not kill him." The brunette replied. "So if you could have a look, then I can finish his dressing."

"I have a patient to see in 408. After that, I'm all yours." He grabbed the morphine he'd clearly come for and closed the door behind him.

"Urgh, literally everything he says sound sarcastic." Caroline huffed.

Elena smiled. "Or like a proposition."

"He's a jerk."

"Keep telling yourself that."

X

"Since when do you buy two portions of moo shu pork?" Caroline asked, eyeing the extra container in Elena's hand suspiciously as she rounded the nurse's station. "Come to think of it, when do you ever get chinese for dinner?"

Elena shrugged, "I guess I fancied a change."

Caroline raised her eyebrow. "And this has nothing at all to do with the hot man in 308?"

"I was hungry. I know he hates the food here so maybe I ordered extra."

"Uh huh." The blonde was smiling wryly. "If you say so."

"Caroline, I'm not-"

"-Relax Elena, I'm playing. I know you'd never cheat on Stefan."

Stefan. Hearing his name when she'd managed to spent the last hour thinking of anything else pulled her right back to the previous night. Her cheek seemed to sting in remembrance.

"Elena?"

"Huh?" Caroline's voice brought her back to the present.

"I said, take a few minutes longer for your break. It's quiet enough that I can cover and you look exhausted."

She smiled genuinely at her friend. It was times like these that Elena wished she'd known Caroline longer than she had. "Thanks Care."

Knocking lightly on Damon's door, Elena peered through the blinds, noting the way that the bedside lamp lit up his cheekbones. His eyes were closed but she heard him voice a clear,

"Come in."

"I already ate," He said into the air, not opening his eyes.

"Really?"

Elena chuckled as his eyes opened and grew wide at the white boxes in her hands.

"Tell me you didn't just come to flaunt your extra tasty food in my face."

"And so what if I have?"

"I'm gonna sue this hospital for unfair temptation."

"It's just as well I brought you some then, huh?"

He sat up a little too quickly in excitement, groaning at the way his wound protested against the sudden movement.

"If I have to change your dressing first, this pork is going to go cold."

"Moo shoo pork?"

Elena nodded with a smile.

"You're literally the world's best doctor."

She handed him his box and a fork, having figured that chopsticks would be a negotiation too far. "You haven't tasted it yet. It might not be up to your standard."

"It beats the pasta they brought down here earlier."

"Broccoli and leek?"

Damon shook his head with a small smile, opening his takeout box. "Arrabiata apparently."

The two ate their pork in relative quiet for the next few moments, Elena enjoying the calm and comfort of the guest armchair. It was when she had almost finished her food that the commotion outside of the room made her jump. Turning her head in the direction of the noise, she had just enough time to notice Stefan approach the room with a wild look on his face.

"Elena, it's your parents. There's been an accident."


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