A/N - Thank you to the gorgeous people who reviewed last chapter. It means a lot that you guys took the time to let me know your thoughts and predictions.
So last chapter was long, but this one has turned out to be even longer. Thank me with a review?
Enjoy xxx
Chapter 12
The sound of Elena's phone buzzing on the nightstand beside her roused her from her sleep, her eyelids lifting lazily as she attempted to sit up. Her efforts were hampered by the fact that a pair of arms - Damon's arms, no less - were holding her against his body in the kind of embrace she had thought was reserved only for movies or tv - never real life. His right arm was under her pillow and curled around her shoulders so that it rested in the dip at the top of her arm, his fingertips grazing the skin inches above the marks she'd left the previous night. His other arm was drawn across her body holding her against him so that her nose was pressed against the soft cotton of his t-shirt. She was surprised to find that her own fingers were resting lightly against his chest, just below his collarbone, and even more surprised to find that all she wanted to do was get rid of the noise and close her eyes again. This, she realised - even more so than last night - was what it was like to feel safe.
The buzzing continued however, as in an attempt not to wake Damon - who himself seemed to be sleeping peacefully - Elena extracted herself carefully from his arms and noted the caller i.d: Caroline.
"Elena!" The blonde practically screamed down the line, "Are you okay? Where are you?"
"At Damon's," she replied sleepily. "What time is it?"
"8:30!" She was still shrieking. "I've just gotten up and realised you weren't here and that you didn't come home last night. I thought Ste...I thought -"
"Care, I'm so sorry," Elena replied in as much of a whisper as she could. "I had no idea what the time was. I guess we must have fallen asleep."
"Really?" Her voice was playful now and Elena could practically feel her smiling down the phone. "Tell me more."
"Care, I've got…" she trailed off at the sound of beeping showing an incoming call. She checked the screen: Jeremy. "My brother is calling. Can I call you later?"
"Sure. But don't be too long. I need your help in analysing last night."
Elena couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped her lips as she ended the call and switched to Jeremy. Creeping out of Damon's room soundlessly, she closed the door to behind her so as not to disturb him.
"Hey Jer, everything okay?"
"Actually, I'm just calling to let you know that as of 5:32 this morning, you officially became an aunt."
Elena squealed, clasping her hand over her mouth when she remembered that Damon was still sleeping in the next room. "Oh my gosh!"
Jeremy chuckled on the end of the line and continued, "Jack Grayson Gilbert. 6 pounds 7 ounces with a really good set of lungs."
"You named him after dad," she whispered, biting her lip to hold back tears. "It's perfect."
"Thank you."
"And Bonnie?"
"She's great. We're actually going home tomorrow so her parents are coming to stay for a few weeks to help out. We were hoping you'd be able to visit too."
"Of course."
"Obviously there won't be any spare rooms at the house but you could check into a motel for a couple days right?"
"Sure," Elena replied, wiping her eyes. "Congratulations Jer."
"Call or text me to let me know when you're coming. Bye Elena."
"Bye."
She ended the call, resting back on the kitchen counter for a few moments until a voice caught her by surprise. "You're popular on a morning."
"Hey," she said gently. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to wake you."
"I needed to get up. I should get a head start on packing."
"Are you going somewhere?"
Stupid question really, she thought. Of course he was.
"My best friend Ric - I don't think I mentioned him last night - is getting married and as the best man, I have to go all the way to Mystic Falls for a suit fitting. Just because picking an independent suit store in Virginia makes it easier for him, it doesn't make it easier for the rest of us."
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow," he replied.
Elena tried not to let the disappointment she felt show in her face. She wasn't even sure why she was disappointed.
"Can I ask who was calling? It wasn't Ste -"
" - No. Uh, the first one was Caroline. She was worried when I wasn't at her place this morning."
"Right," Damon replied, stretching his arms above his head to reveal a hint of his toned muscles below the t-shirt he had on. "I should have thought about that."
"Careful," she warned. "You should only stretch lightly."
"Sorry doctor." His eye roll made her lips curl into a small smile and she felt her own eyes roll at his response. "And the second?"
"What?"
"You said the first person calling was Caroline."
"Oh, my brother - Jeremy. He became a dad this morning."
"So I guess that makes you an aunt."
"Yep."
"Then we should celebrate," Damon said, making his way to the cupboards. "Waffles, pancakes or eggs florentine?"
"You make breakfast too," Elena replied, turning in her bar stool. "Of course."
"Some people would say my cooking skills are a very attractive quality."
"I'm sure they do."
"And yet you seem strangely unaffected," he returned, opening the fridge to retrieve some orange juice. She tried to ignore the way she desperately didn't want to leave this little safe haven he'd created for her and took the glass of juice as he held it out. She was far from unaffected - and by more than just his cooking skills. For one big reason however, she felt guilty for even thinking it, let alone than if she were to admit it out loud: Stefan.
"Earth to Aunt Elena!"
"Huh?"
"You made your breakfast choice yet? Or do you require a buffet as per usual?"
"Pancakes," she returned pointedly.
He smirked, and she couldn't help her manners.
"Please."
X
Of course, the pancakes he made her were delicious, and Elena caught his satisfied smirk when she let out a small moan of gratification while taking a bite laden with blueberries and sugar-whipped cream. They said little while eating, yet the silence was comfortable as each devoured everything on their plates. Damon set his mug down on the counter as he finished his final mouthful of coffee.
"So are you going to see your nephew? Niece? I didn't ask."
"My nephew," she smiled. "Jack. And yes of course. When I've got a couple days off work and saved up enough money for a plane ticket, I'll head out there."
"Elena, if you need money for a ticket -"
" - No, Damon."
"You didn't even hear what I had to say."
"If you're going to offer me a plane ticket to Virginia, I can't accept. I won't accept."
"It's a good thing that I wasn't then, huh?"
"You...I'm sorry, I just - "
"- Relax," he laughed lightly. "I was going to say, I'm heading pretty close by Smithfield when I go to Mystic Falls so I could drop you off. It's on the way."
"That's incredibly kind of you, but I have work tomorrow."
"Then let me know when you have a couple days off. The suit can wait until then."
"I think people get pretty stressed with weddings," she returned. "Ric might not take kindly to you rescheduling."
"See Elena, here's the thing. Ric is pretty much the most laid back guy you'll ever meet. And his fiancee Jenna...well, if there's a soulmate out there for everyone, then she's definitely his. So finalising my suit a few days late? No biggie."
"I...I don't know what to say." She really didn't. Thank you just somehow didn't seem enough.
"Say you'll buy the snacks," he replied. "And just so you know, I love Twinkies."
Elena offered him a smile which he returned before his eyes settled on the grooves at the top of her arms and it faded quickly. "What happened there?"
Self-consciously, she tried to tug the cotton material of her borrowed t-shirt down to cover the marks, failing in her quest. "I uh...had a dream."
"A dream?"
"Nightmare, I guess."
"About him?"
She nodded, dipping her head. "I hadn't realised I was...hurting myself."
Damon slid down from his stool until he was standing directly beside her and took her left arm gently in his. With his other hand, he traced around the dark red and purple marks that her nails had left, thumbing the skin so softly it felt like he was brushing a feather over her. "Has it gotten any better?"
What was she supposed to say? Yes, it got better when Caroline slept next to her? When he slept next to her? That because he'd kept his arms around her last night, she'd had the best night's sleep since before she went into the hospital? None of those truths seemed appropriate to say out loud. But she didn't have to admit them because Damon spoke again, "Sometimes, I prefer to keep the light on. But last night...you helped me."
"Me?"
"Having you there made me feel -"
His sentence was interrupted by a text coming through Elena's phone, vibrating kind of violently on the counter and making them both jump back a little. A picture lit up the screen: Jeremy, Bonnie and Jack. Elena couldn't help but smile.
"They look so happy."
"Does he know?" Damon asked "About him?"
"No. He had enough to worry about and I'm fine."
"Elena…."
"Damon, I can handle it."
He fingered the marks on her arm again and she pulled away this time. "You sure?"
"I'm sure."
The look he gave her was unconvinced though she chose to ignore it, instead, resuming her place in front of the large expanse of glass overlooking the city where she'd been standing last night.
X
Damon had insisted on walking Elena back to Caroline's apartment, even though she'd told him she'd be fine. He promised, he'd said, that he would deliver her home safely, and it was a promise he intended to keep. There was no sign of Klaus when she entered, closing the door behind her having given Damon a slightly awkward hug goodbye, though the sight of Caroline on some sort of frantic cleaning mission signalled that something had happened. Something big.
"Care?" she questioned over the blaring vocals of Guns N Roses.
"Thank God you're home," the blonde surged, turning down the volume on the speakers. "I've already cleaned the bathroom twice."
"Because….?"
"Because last night I had the most amazing sex of my life and now I don't know what to do about it."
"Tell me you're cleaning the bathroom because you're panicking, not because you guys...you know... in there."
"I'm cleaning because I'm panicking," Caroline repeated, "But you might not wanna lie on the rug yet."
"Urgh," Elena groaned, "mental image."
"Hey! I shouldn't look bad in that mental image!"
"Not you. I just didn't want to have to think of our supervisor in that way."
"Elena, what am I going to do?" she groaned dramatically. "This thing between me and Klaus is totally inappropriate but God...the things he can do with his t-"
"- Caroline!" she cried, covering her ears before so could hear the final word in the sentence.
"You know what I mean."
Elena cocked an eyebrow and rolled her eyes.
"Or maybe you don't."
"So minus the details I don't need to know, what happened last night?"
Elena listened as Caroline recounted the way she and Klaus had cooked together, creating eggplant parmigiana and garlic bread from scratch. The Valpolicella stock was significantly depleted, however the blonde assured her that it wasn't the alcohol that had led to kissing and then, well, more.
"He was just so...nice," Caroline sighed, wiping her brow with the back of her forearm.
"Who knew," the brunette replied, unable to do anything but shake her head humorously at her best friend.
"Well not me, that's for sure. But he's our supervisor. Do you think he could get into trouble?"
"Honestly Care, Klaus doesn't strike me as the kind of person who goes into something not knowing the risks."
"You're right. But what if work becomes a problem?"
"In what way?"
"Well what if we can't control ourselves and someone catches us in the supply cupboard?"
Elena couldn't help but laugh. Caroline really was ridiculous sometimes. "Again, Klaus doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would lose control."
"And I do?"
At Elena's lack of response, Caroline pursed her lips and huffed, squirting the mirror with cleaning fluid. "Fine. I just won't think about it all day. Distract me. Tell me what you and Damon got up to last night and explain why the hell you didn't come home and nearly gave me a heart attack."
After filling the kettle to make coffee, it was Caroline's turn to listen as her friend told her about the food, the view and the reason why Damon's wound was taking way longer to heal than it should. While leaving out the details of her nightmare about Stefan, Elena recounted how peacefully Damon had seemed to sleep after his own nightmare, that being the reason she hadn't come home: she hadn't wanted to disturb him. She left out the part about how well she slept in his arms, but added in the celebratory blueberry pancakes he made.
"What were you celebrating?"
"I'm officially an aunt!"
"Elena that's so great!" Caroline squealed. "Boy or a girl?"
"A boy - Jack. They named him after my dad."
Caroline squeezed Elena's shoulder and rose from her position on a bar stool as the kettle whistled. "That's a lovely gesture."
"Here," she showed her the photo on her phone, sighing. "They look so happy."
"Are you going to visit?"
"As soon as I have a couple days off in a row. Actually... Damon's going to give me a ride."
Caroline raised one of her perfectly-manicured eyebrows. "What, he just happened to be going to Smithfield whenever it is that you have two days off?"
"No, but he did happen to be going to Mystic Falls - his hometown - for a suit fitting and it's only an hour away. He offered to drive me as long as I bought the snacks."
"I bet he did." She smirked. "I like him."
Elena liked him too, and found herself casting her mind to the previous night, his musky scent enveloping her she she laid against him, warm and calm and safe. Safe. It was that word again that she kept coming back to with him. A word that until everything with Stefan, had been merely a concept she'd thought she understood. Now though, she realised she hadn't.
"You know, if you need to swap shifts or you want me to cover for you, it's no problem."
"Care, you've done so much for me already. Really, it's fine."
"If I get to work with Klaus," she wiggled her brows comically and Elena chuckled again. "It's no hardship. Really."
"I love you, you know."
"I know," the blonde chirped. "I'd love me too."
X
Almost a week later, Elena was met by a partially scowling Damon as she entered his apartment building, messenger bag in hand.
"I was supposed to pick you up," he told her, taking her bag before she had chance to protest. "Walking the streets on your own isn't something I like the idea of. Especially while it's still dark."
"Damon, I did it before I met you. And you hardly live in the crime capital of Manhattan."
"I don't like the idea of you not being safe," he replied with tensed muscles. "Please let me pick you up next time."
Next time. Elena couldn't help the involuntary smile creeping across her lips. "I just wanted to save you time, but if you insist-"
" - I insist."
She waited for him on the couch, content to just watch the city grow livelier as the night's cloud cover broke, the sun beginning to rise above the horizon as Damon grabbed various items from around his apartment, one being a full bottle of Garrison Brothers 'Cowboy'.
"You're taking that with you? Won't your friend have some, or isn't there a bar you can go to?" Elena asked.
"No, he has no taste and yes, but if you'd been there, you'd know why I'm taking this."
"Dive bar?"
"Try only bar."
"So Mystic Falls must be a really small town then?"
Damon rolled his eye. "You have no idea."
X
She settled into the passenger seat of his light blue Camaro, pulling off her Converse so that she could tuck her legs under her. It was still early, and in her rush to get to Damon's before he left, she hadn't had the chance to grab her usual cup of coffee.
"Make yourself at home," he quipped, shifting the car into gear as he pulled out of the underground parking lot.
"Oh…" she flushed, realising she'd kind of done just that without even asking. "Sorry, I'll just-"
"-Elena," he cut in with a smirk. "I was kidding." Placing a hand on her leg to relax her, he smoothed his thumb along her skin in a gesture so comforting, she couldn't help but smile. "As long as you buy me Twinkies and a Minute Maid at the first gas station we stop at, you can do what you like."
The first gas station turned out to be a good two hours away, and Elena was grateful when the car rolled to a stop. The hot air of late summer had made her thirsty, and her stomach also seemed to be complaining about the lack of food.
"Twinkies right?" she asked, shutting the car door as Damon began filling the tank.
"And Minute Maid."
"Consider it done."
Elena browsed the shelves of the store, checking her watch. They had about six hours to go and she wasn't sure what Damon's views would be on stopping at a diner for lunch. She guessed the chances of roadside pancakes weren't high, and decided to get enough supplies to last them the rest of the journey. Spotting a coffee machine in the corner, she made her way over to fill two cups with Americano. Damon was sure to need a caffeine boost - especially if he was to drive the remainder of the journey on his own. Idly, as she was adding several sticks of sugar to each cup, she wondered whether she should offer to drive part of the way. At least then, he'd be able to rest for a while.
At the counter, Elena handed over money for the coffee and other items, waiting while the cashier bagged up the chips, candy and chocolate along with the things Damon had requested and a couple bottles of water.
"Is there anything left on the shelves?" he asked as he entered the store himself, black credit card in hand.
"I'm just making sure we have enough to eat."
"And did you buy anything of nutritional value?"
She shrugged, "Your Minute Maid contains fruit. So do the Skittles."
"Do you have any actual fruit?" he asked the cashier.
A few moments later, after Damon had paid for the gas - and two apples no less, they were back on the road again.
"You can eat your candy after your apple," he told her. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day you know."
"I know. I'm a doctor remember?" she replied, taking an exaggeratedly large bite of her apple. "Tasty."
Damon let out a small chuckle and turned his attention back to the road.
The next couple of hours passed in relative silence, Elena content to watch the landscape change from grey concrete to open fields, the sky a hazy blue that made her wish she'd brought her sunglasses.
"Here," Damon said, as if reading her mind, holding out his sunglasses to her. She looked at him questioningly. "You were squinting."
"Thanks."
He grinned as she put on the aviators. "You look better in them than I do anyway."
She dipped her head, embarrassed by the compliment...or flirting...or whatever it was.
"Thanks again," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "For bringing me."
"You're welcome. And believe it or not, you're doing me a favour. I have to get you back to New York for work, so it means Ric can't force me to stay any longer than the two days we have planned. And you're not bad road trip company I suppose."
"Gee, thanks."
Again, they settled into a comfortable quiet, interspersed with Damon pointing out various landmarks or Elena commenting on the beauty of the landscape. There was a question she had been wanting to ask him for a while however, and as she shifted in her seat to face him, the words came out almost of their own accord.
"How come Ric didn't visit you in the hospital?"
The muscles in Damon's jaw tensed. "He didn't know I was there."
"Damon! Why not?"
"Because I didn't want him to come all the way to New York just to tell me that he was right about Katherine all along."
"He's your best friend; surely he would have been concerned."
"I don't need anyone to be concerned Elena." His tone was rather abrupt. "I'm fine."
The nightmare she watched him experience over a week ago told her otherwise, and although the bullet wound was healing a little better now, from her own experience she knew he would still be having trouble sleeping; hell, she hadn't slept for more than two hours since the night she'd spent at Damon's apartment.
"Damon, you know you can call me," she said, twisting a strand of her around her finger. "If you need to talk to someone or-"
"-There's a gas station just there," he cut her off. "I'm filling up if you need the bathroom or whatever."
Elena felt her face flush - from embarrassment or worry that she'd said too much, she wasn't sure. But regardless of whether or not she needed the bathroom, it seemed like a good idea to have a few minutes apart while Damon collected himself and she thought about how she could apologise for the uneasiness without actually apologising.
She stayed on the forecourt of the gas station while he paid, taking the opportunity to stretch her limbs; they'd been driving for nearly six hours and he'd scoffed at her suggestion that she could drive part of the way.
"You hungry?" he asked, making her jump. "For real food I mean."
"I guess I could eat something," she answered truthfully.
"There's a little diner about a half hour down the road that's actually pretty decent. We'll stop there."
"Okay."
"You getting in?" He held the passenger door open for Elena to climb in and closed it behind her when she'd settled herself in the seat.
X
It was nearly 3pm when Damon pulled up in the parking lot of the motel Elena had booked. She watched him eye the guy at the front desk suspiciously before he'd insisted on carrying her bag to her room. Upon reaching it, she'd heard him suck in a breath - no doubt at the flimsy excuse for a lock - as she braced herself for what was likely to be a pretty badly-decorated room. There weren't many places to stay in Smithfield as it was, and as this weekend had coincided with the town's annual end-of-summer fayre, Elena hadn't been left with any choice. It was the Days Motel or nowhere.
"Absolutely not." Damon said as she pushed the door open. "You're not staying here. That lock isn't good enough and that monkey on reception looked like someone from a slasher film."
"There was nowhere else," she told him. "So this will have to do."
"Like hell it will." It was practically a growl. "You can stay with me. There are plenty of rooms at my place that don't have stained bedspreads. And there's a decent lock on the door."
"Damon -"
"-If this is that thing where you say you can't accept, then you can save your breath because I won't let you stay here."
"You won't let me?" She was a little angry now. He'd done her a huge favour in giving her a ride but the last thing she needed was someone telling her what she could and couldn't do. "Don't do that. Don't take away my options."
"Elena…"
"No Damon. You've been so sweet to me this entire time and I appreciate everything you've done for me, but if you start making my decisions for me, then this friendship isn't going to work. It's what... he…. What Stefan did. A lot, and-"
"- I'm sorry." he set her bag down on the bed and sighed, sitting down. "I didn't mean to make you feel like...that."
She took a seat on the bed next to him. "It's only one night."
He rubbed a hand over his face harshly. "Okay. I won't sleep anyway, so if you need me to come get you…"
"What about your bourbon?"
"What about it?"
"You brought it all the way here so I know you're planning on drinking it with Ric."
"He can have it as a stag present."
"Damon…"
"I mean what I said Elena," he told her. "I won't be sleeping, and we can get drunk another time when I know you're safe."
At that, she melted. Like, actually felt something in her chest pull and stretch and leave her a little breathless. "Fine."
"Fine, what?"
"I'll stay with you. I'd hate to be the girl who comes between you guys and the Garrison brothers." She didn't miss the way his blue eyes seemed to light up.
"Really?"
"If you're sure I'm not in the way?"
He kissed her forehead, picking up her bag as he rose from the bed before Elena even had time to process his movements. "Never."
X
She had left her parents' house - Jeremy and Bonnie's house (that was still hard to get used to) a little after 8, after she'd had her fill of holding Jack and cooing over how cute he was. Damon had stayed away, dutifully dropping her off and picking her up, spending his time walking the streets of Smithfield. He'd even, he told her later, sampled some funnel cake from the fayre.
Jeremy and Bonnie had been tired but utterly in love with their son, and each took the time to hug her when she told them why Stefan hadn't accompanied her on the trip. She had spared the main details of course, but told them that they were taking a break after arguing more often than they should.
Damon had brought her to the Mystic Grille, the town's only bar, after dropping their bags off at their residence for the evening. What he had failed to tell her about where they were staying, was that it was pretty much a damn palace! And it was his. He had remained pretty tight-lipped when she'd questioned him about the house, but did divulge that it had been in his family for centuries, and while he had no need to keep it really, selling it didn't really seem fair to his ancestors. Elena felt that him keeping it just to please people who were no longer here seemed a little unfair to him.
"Elena?" Ric's voice brought her out of her reverie.
"Huh? Sorry."
"I said, are you continuing on the wine or are you going to join us on the shots?"
They had been sat at a table just near the pool table for around half an hour. Damon and Ric seemed to be in some kind of competition over who could do the most shots, while Elena had been talking to Ric's fiancee Jenna, who, she had discovered, was one of the nicest people on the planet. They'd had a glass of wine each but Jenna had finished hers at least fifteen minutes ago and had joined the guys on shots of bourbon.
"I'll try a shot," she replied and Damon raised an eyebrow. "How bad could it be?"
As it turned out, it was pretty damn bad. Damon had warned her that it was cheap bourbon because the grille didn't have classy enough clientele to warrant buying the decent stuff; she should have listened. After coughing for about twenty seconds while the others laughed, she made her mind up that it would be wine and wine only from then on.
"I like her," Jenna told Damon as Elena went to the bar. "Where did you find her again?"
"The hospital."
"What were you doing at the hospital?"
Damon thought quickly, gabbling his answer, "Outside the hospital. I was passing. She works there."
"You should bring her to the wedding." Jenna continued.
"Yeah, we don't want you moping or worse - hooking up with all of the bridesmaids." Ric added, clinking his shot glass with Jenna's as she laughed.
"You know we're just friends, right?" Damon asked, throwing back another shot.
Jenna and Ric shared a look. "If you say so."
"I'm cutting you off for a while," Elena said, returning to the table with two glasses of wine and two beers. "Nobody should be able to do as many shots as you lot and still stand straight."
"We're expert drinkers," Damon drawled, wiggling his empty shot glass in front of her. "We can do more than just stand."
"Really?"
"I bet that I can beat you in a game of pool."
Elena eyed the pool table just up the steps and smirked. She'd spent her teenage years playing against Jeremy and it was the only sport - if you could call it that - that she was any good at. "What does the winner get?"
She watched as Damon considered her question for a moment.
"To pick any song on the jukebox," Ric cut in, "that the loser has to dance to."
Damon drew up an eyebrow and Elena smiled. "Deal."
In less than twenty minutes after the bet had been made, Elena found herself withering from shame as Damon walked away from the pool table the winner. He was unnaturally good - so much so that he'd only missed one shot.
"Alcohol only enhances my abilities Elena," he called somewhat suggestively. "And it gives me a great taste in music."
She groaned, picking up her wine glass to down what was left as he made his way to the jukebox, exaggerating his steps. Something about the way he moved though made her heart pick up speed and when he turned around to shoot her a playful wink, she felt tingles dance along the back of her neck.
Elena didn't have much time to analyse the situation however, as the sound of Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar on Me cascaded over the speakers and she met Damon's twinkling eyes.
"The floor is yours m'lady."
She had two options: stay, dance and be completely embarrassed for life, or run and hide in the bathroom. Eyeing the remainder of Jenna's wine, she decided that she'd had enough of running and grabbed it, chugging the contents before slamming it perhaps a little too roughly back on the table. Damon, who had made his way back over from the jukebox seemed amused, and watched with interest as he slouched against the wall. And so for the next minute of her life, she danced in the space between the steps and their table to the song before Jenna joined her for the remainder of the song, twirling around and laughing so much that Elena couldn't help but join in.
"You definitely have to come to the wedding," Jenna gasped, leaning against Ric as the pair sat back down at the table to a round of applause from the two men. "I've never seen anyone in here dance on their own to Def Leppard on a Wednesday night before!"
"Oh God," Elena cringed. "I'm gonna cringe every time I hear this song."
"Really?" Damon asked, "Because I definitely won't."
They ordered one more round of drinks before Ric of all people suggested they head off so as not to miss the suit fitting in the morning. Elena didn't miss the look he shared with Jenna as Damon placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the door and back to his family home, but decided not to shrug him off. The wine had gotten to her a little and she found she was rather glad of the support.
X
As Damon shut the solid oak door behind them upon entering the house, Elena found that he'd been right (of course) and she did feel safe. They walked to the kitchen for water on her suggestion that they'd regret not re-hydrating properly in the morning.
"I had a great time tonight," she told him. "Ric and Jenna are so nice."
"They loved you," he replied. "I mean, you got a wedding invite!"
She laughed. "I know. It's a good job they won't remember it in the morning."
"They were being serious," Damon returned. "Apparently, you're damage control when it comes to me."
"Damage control?"
"Clearly my buddy doesn't think too highly of me. But if you can get the weekend off work, they get married on the 21st."
"Of September?"
"Yup," he replied, popping the p. "I'd love you to come too, by the way."
Elena wasn't sure what to say. She smiled at him and took a sip of her water, stifling a yawn. "I guess we should try and get some sleep."
"Well you have a choice of rooms," he told her. "Take your pick."
She chose the one next to Damon's room… or Damon's old room, depending on how you looked at it, and made her way to the bathroom to change into her pajamas. After she'd washed her face and brushed her teeth, Elena settled into bed, flicking off the lamp before placing her cell on the bedside table. She checked for missed calls twice, although she wasn't sure who she'd expected to call - Stefan maybe, but the weight lifted off of her chest when she saw that he hadn't. It was at that moment that Elena decided she'd been hiding, that there was no way she could move on without seeing him. Perhaps he'd changed. The time apart was probably the best thing for both of them.
Just as she was drifting off, she heard the floorboards creak outside the door before a soft knock sounded.
"Elena?"
"Damon?"
"Can I come in?"
"Sure," she replied, sitting up. "You okay?"
"Actually, I came to check you were."
"I'm fine."
"Right." He sounded a little hesitant. "Well if you need me, I'm just-"
"-Thank you."
He nodded and closed the door behind him. Elena heard his own door close and she settled back down into the bed.
X
"You can't leave me," Stefan told her, his green eyes boring into her brown ones.
"Stefan, I only came to get my things," she replied, making her way past him towards their bedroom. "I've told you, we're not-"
"- I said," he cut in, ripping the scarf from her hand. "You can't leave me."
Hastily, she stuffed as many clothes as she could into her bag, grabbing the few photo frames she had with her parents and Jeremy in.
"Pack all you want," he continued, a creepy tone to his voice. "You're not leaving."
She looked up then, almost as if her brain was properly registering his words. "Stefan…" She ran past him towards the door and tugged at the handle. It didn't open. Whirling around, she gasped, finding him directly behind her. "What did you do?"
"We need to work this out Elena. And now you can't run anymore."
She woke with a gasp, feeling sweat running down her forehead. Her heart was pounding in her ears and without thinking, she threw the sheets off of her body, running towards the door. It opened easily and her body sagged with relief as the cooler air of the hallway hit her. She wasn't trapped.
Elena jumped again as the door behind her opened, soft light filtering across the wooden floor as Damon stood there in only pajama pants, his hair dishevelled and his eyes tired.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Perhaps she'd had too much wine, or perhaps she was simply exhausted, but she couldn't help the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "I just want it to stop," she breathed.
Damon wrapped her in a hug, pulling her to his chest so that she could feel the warmth of his skin. Rocking her gently, he pulled a hand through her hair, working from her ears down to the middle of her back.
"You want to talk about it?"
"I went to see Stefan but he locked me in and...and...I couldn't...I couldn't get…"
He shushed her at that, pulling back slightly to look her in the eye. After wiping the tears from her face, he took her hand in his. "I want to show you something."
Damon led her to the front door and let go of her hand. She suddenly felt cold. "This mechanism," he said, indicating the lock on the door "works the top lock. If you push down the catch, it's a deadlock; nobody can get in from the outside. You want to know the beauty of these kind of locks? They're the fastest to open from the inside. Watch."
She did as he said, tilting her head as the metal clicked and unclicked again. "Now you try."
Elena pressed the catch and closed the door.
"Try turning the handle." Damon said. She attempted it at his suggestion, and struggled to even get the knob to turn a fraction of an inch. "Deadbolt. Now turn the latch."
It slid easily and she was able to open the heavy door without issue. "You want to try again?"
"No," she said quietly. "That's...thank you, Damon."
He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and Elena's eyes closed for a brief moment. "You want something to drink? Want to watch a movie or-"
"-Can I stay with you?"
She was done trying to analyse what it meant that she wanted to go to sleep in his arms. Her body was exhausted and if she could get just a few hours by staying in his room, then perhaps she could work harder the following night to clear her mind before going to bed.
"Of course."
They said nothing else, and for that, Elena was grateful. Damon let her slide into his bed first before he turned off the light, coating the room in an inky black. She waited for him to lie down before adjusting her position so that she was on her back, her arm resting against his. A few seconds later, she felt his fingertips brush against her skin delicately, as if she were an ornament he might break. Listening to the steady rhythm of his heart, she felt her eyelids begin to drop.
"Did I guilt you into this?" he whispered into the dark room. Elena lifted her lids with great effort.
"Into what?"
"Staying here?"
She paused before answering, deciding to give him the truth. "A little." Feeling his fingers stop trailing their way along her skin, Elena regretted her honesty. "But I'm grateful you did."
"Grateful?" His fingers began their trail again and she smiled.
"You're right - I wouldn't have felt safe there."
"And here?"
"Enough that this conversation is the only thing keeping me awake."
She felt him smile into the darkness and she shifted so that she was on her side, her back only inches away from his chest. His fingers that had been tracing patterns along her arm resettled above the covers as he draped his arm across her so that she was in a soft, cotton cocoon. "Sleep," he whispered against her hair.
She did.
