Breaking the Boundaries Chapter 4
A week has passed since Stefan went missing. A whole week with nothing but stories of his massacres passed second-hand through a reluctant Damon.
He will never just come out and say it, but every time I see him, there is a little more pain behind his brilliant blue eyes. Honestly, I don't understand why this is hurting Damon. He is a killer, he likes killing. I have a slight niggling feeling that his pain is for either me or Stefan. He knows that both Stefan and I would be repulsed by the monster he has become. But the ability to love has always been Damon's biggest strength and weakness simultaneously.
As is now the summer holidays, I now seem to have endless time to worry about all the things in my life I should probably not be thinking about, ever.
After another disappointing trip to the boarding house, I am so disheartened and downtrodden. I just want to DO something!
Ric is reading back at the house, a seemingly endless hobby for him. One he seems to be sticking to pretty consistently these holidays.
"Don't you ever get sick of just sitting in that same chair day after day reading crap you have already read a thousand times?" I yelled as I paced in front of him.
He looked up, surprised as hell at my uncharacteristic outburst. "Well someone's got your knickers in a knot. This is a classic." He held up his book for me to see. "Pretty sure I had to wait for you to finish reading it, before you would hand it over." He put the book down and stood up. "What is really wrong Elena?"
The wind was knocked out of my sails a little by this, I was itching for a fight. About something! "All this sitting around doing nothing is driving me crazy. I want to help Stefan, but Damon won't let me do anything. He is being a complete ass! Sorry about before, you know" I gestured towards the book "I really do like it. I was cranky, I want to do something, hit something, you know?"
"Dainty little Elena, spoiling for a fight? I never thought I'd see the day." He stood up and put his shirt on. He then went over to the hall cupboard and started unloading weapons.
I received a look that I knew was supposed to mean something but I had no idea what. "Well? Go upstairs and change. You'll need some shorts and a tank or gym pants. Something comfortable" Ric said as if he hadn't just completely flipped.
"What are you.."
He stopped me. "Elena, don't ask questions. Go and get changed, you're the one looking for a little action."
I was so surprised by this change in him that I just did as I was told. I thought about what he wanted me to do. He had packed weapons, were we going vampire hunting? Sounds a little dangerous to me. What should I wear for that? Black on black seemed the best bet if I was taking a leaf out of Damon's book.
Suddenly 'looking for a little action' slipped into my head. He didn't mean.. No, Alaric would never suggest something like that. I felt my belly squish a little at the thought and the perfect outfit came to mind.
"ELENA! What is taking you so god damned long? We're leaving NOW!"
I hadn't realised I had been taking so long, or that Ric was so pissed. I ran down the stairs and ran straight into him as he came out of the kitchen holding four water bottles.
"Omigod, Ric I'm so sorry" I squeaked.
"No problem, just get in the car."
After we had been driving for a while, the silence became a little awkward, at least on my behalf.
"Ric? Where are we going?" No answer.
We continued on for another ten minutes before we pulled into a forest clearing and Ric started unloading weapons. As it was daylight and we were totally alone I assumed that we wouldn't be hunting vampires.
"Alright, we are going to vent some of your frustration and mine. I am going to teach you how to hunt." It all started to make sense now. Why didn't I think of that before? "You are obviously having a hard time of it and this should help you defend yourself as well as allow you to wail on something that isn't me." He shot a half smile at me before it suddenly dropped. "Actually, come to think of it, you will be wailing on me. "
I giggled, he just sounded so stupid!
He laid out all the weapons on the ground.
"OK. So, I would like you to chose your enemy first. What are you most afraid of?"
I answered before I even processed the thought. "Stefan."
We were both surprised at this answer. Shouldn't it have been Klaus?
Ric took a deep breath, as though forcing himself not to react, or say something stupid. Again.
"Well take a look at all the weapons available. Which do you think would be of most use against Stefan?"
I looked them all over. There were stakes, home-made stake crossbows, vervain grenades, wolfs bane grenades, wrist holsters and dart guns.
"I think the vervain grenade and the wrist holster with stakes."
"Good. Why?" He replied. He sounded so much like a soldier that I wanted to laugh at him. But I didn't, I took a deep breath and though hard about each of Stefan's weaknesses. "Vervain, because no matter that he keeps drinking it, he always react badly when it gets on his skin. On ropes, in the well. You get the picture."
"Good, I agree." Thank god. Soldier Ric was intimidating.
"The stakes are the best way to incapacitate him because he would never expect it, especially hidden under my sleeve. A cross bow or gun he would hear as it was released and react too quickly. Even if I was close enough to stake him, he would never believe I had or would until it had already happened. " I reasoned
"Good thinking. It's true Stefan has caught stakes before when they were shot at him. And that he would never expect this from you. " He pulled me over to a bag of metal bits and glass bottles. "First I'm going to show you how to assemble and arm a grenade. No explosive, obviously, I'm not trying to kill you."
Grenades in theory sounds really exciting but in reality they are fiddly and boring. This was doing absolutely nothing to curb my recent aggressive tendencies. After I had put together, armed then disabled about ten of them, I was so frustrated . "Ric I am BORED! I want to stake something now!"
He looked up and smiled. "Well this should be fun." He went over to the pile and dug out some wrist holsters. But then he threw the stakes back.
"What are you doing?" I shouted at him. "I want to stake something."
"Well you just can't. We're starting out with a moving target. That would be me. If you stake me, I will be dead and I don't have a ring anymore so that would be bad" he snarked at me.
I couldn't argue there. At least I got to hit something. Even if it did happen to be Ric.
He showed me the correct way to hold my hands and body to release the stake with as much force as possible. After I had gone over the moves, for what seemed like the hundredth time he finally deemed me ready.
As I stood facing him off he smiled at me putting me completely off guard. It wasn't one of his normal 'Ric the nice guy' smiles. It was cunning and devious, like he had something planned for me. I smiled back, today was the day for a real fight, no padding for me.
I made the first move. I quickly darted in towards his left side, aiming for stomach. I stayed light on my feet like he had taught me, but unsurprisingly he blocked it and moved away. I frowned, he could have easily turned that defence into an attack, but he didn't. "Ric, don't hold back on me. I want this. I want you to be him. Think like him. It's the only way." He shrugged his shoulders in reply "If you insist." He still didn't move in, so I made another attack. This time I struck him, straight into the stomach. If it really had have been Stefan, this would be best case scenario. I relaxed and crowed in victory. He snatched me from behind and stood body to body with me, one hand across my shoulders and the other exposing my neck as he went to bite down.
"Elena, do you see the mistake you made here? You struck but then you didn't get out fast enough. You need to stay out of reach or your dead."
I didn't respond. My heart felt like it was beating out my chest. He still hadn't let go and as he talked his breath blew over the spot he had just 'bitten'. There was the tiniest wet spot left by his mouth, but it was enough to give me Goosebumps.
I felt a sudden rush of desire that I had never felt with Stefan. I could feel every part of his body pressed up against me when I stopped to just enjoy the experience. I even leaned in a little, to gain a better appreciation. He sucked in a audible breath as I did and I felt the slightest nudge against my backside, signalling his apparent attraction.
He whirled me around quickly and said "Well that would probably work. Considering it is Stefan. But don't think that using your body would work on every vampire, especially if you have already been bitten. I think we are done for today."
What? He thought that was a tactical move for the fight? That man is so far in denial it would probably take a sledgehammer approach just to make him realise it. I felt him. He was definitely into it.
Our relationship is complicated at best, but we already live together. Basically if you added sex to our equation we would be married.
Well after today I was sure. I was definitely attracted to him. He had gut wrenching, skin tingling, goosebump-y sex appeal. Knowing that I wasn't alone in these feelings did much for my confidence. I would have him.
Game on Mr. Saltzman, game on.