I do not own anything in this story. The CW created the universe, and I just play in it.
This is my first fanfiction. Please rate and review!
"Got everything, Elena?" Damon looked over at her, a half-smile playing on his lips. "You know, we might not ever be coming back."
"Nice of you to remind me, Damon. But yes, I do have everything, and we are coming back."
"Did you pack some sexy lingerie?"
Elena swatted his arm. "Shut up." They were sitting in Damon's car, parked in the Salvatores' driveway, waiting for Caroline to finish printing the directions to Boyce. Damon's arm was covered by his usual leather jacket, and other than the black stain creeping up his neck he looked perfectly fine.
As it turned out, they were the only two making the trip. Bonnie hadn't been going, for obvious reasons, but Caroline had backed out last minute after her mother had been admitted to the hospital for a minor heart attack. "I'm going to have to stay home and take care of her," Caroline had explained the previous night as she watched Elena pack.
"Couldn't you at least come for one night until we reach Boyce, and then super-vampire-speed back home?" Elena considered a purple windbreaker before folding it neatly into her bag.
"That's too inconvenient. Besides, I thought you'd like having Damon to yourself for two whole days when no one's around." Caroline had tried to sound teasing, but Elena could tell by her voice that she still disapproved of Elena breaking up with Stefan.
Honk! Honk!
"Lay off the horn, I'm coming!" Caroline shouted from the front door. She hurried over and shoved a thin stack of papers through the passenger window. "Here's all the stuff you need. The first piece of paper is the directions to Boyce. Take the highway, and avoid back roads because the potholes are terrible. The second paper is your inn reservation—sorry, I could only get you one room."
"Sounds great," Elena mumbled, ignoring Damon's smirk.
"The third paper is a police statement, saying that you and Damon are representing the Mystic Falls police force and have every right to play detective. Don't worry, I didn't even have to compel my mom to get them." Caroline shuffled through the papers. "And the last form is Damon's life insurance policy."
"His what?" Elena looked up.
"Life insurance policy. I snooped. Apparently, he's worth two-point-four million dollars." Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Elena, but your parents never filled out the paperwork for your policy, and Alaric couldn't sign them because he's not your legal guardian—"
"Thanks, Caroline, but I don't think anybody's going to be dying this time." Elena took the papers and stuffed them into the glove compartment. "I'll see you in two days."
"I hope so." Caroline turned to Damon menacingly. "You'd better bring her back to me in one piece, because I know a couple of people who'd love nothing more than to scatter your body parts across the Atlantic."
"Bye, blondie." Damon rolled up the windows and peeled out of the driveway.
They were outside Mystic Falls before Damon finally broke the silence. "So how're you feeling about coming with me on your own?"
"Fine, thank you," Elena answered. Stefan had opted out of the trip last night—also for obvious reasons. Tyler and Matt had refused point-blank, and although Jeremy had begged to go, Elena had shut him down instantly. "I'm not scared of you, you know."
"Well, you should be. A lot of people are scared of me."
"Not me."
"Why aren't you?"
"Because you're Damon." Elena playfully punched his right arm. "And because I've seen a side of you that most people never see. I know you like to act all tough, like you don't care about anyone or anything, but deep down I know you do care."
Damon responded by changing lanes and nearly crashing into a green Subaru behind them. "Damon, watch out!" Elena peeked over at the dashboard. "Holy crap, Damon, you're going 120 miles per hour! Slow down!"
"What, were you too engrossed in our conversation to notice my driving before?" He rolled his eyes and inched the speedometer even further up. "And I'm a vampire, remember?"
"Yeah, so you're fine if we run off a cliff, but then what about me?"
He was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "If anything happened to us, I'd save you first, no question."
Elena stared at the window so she wouldn't have to respond. Truth be told, Damon's random acts of sweetness were flattering and adorable, but they made her…uncomfortable. Damon wasn't the type to show affection like that, and Elena had no idea how to respond when he made those sorts of comments.
They arrived in Boyce late that night, around seven o'clock. Damon pulled up in front of the inn, which was just a large, worn-down Southern-style house that sported a peeling sign reading Boyce Traveler's Inn. "Go ahead to the room. I'm going to drive around and find us something to eat."
Elena pulled the two bags out of the trunk and slammed it shut. "Just as long as your 'something to eat' doesn't have a heartbeat." Damon rolled his eyes before starting the engine and driving off.
Inside, it was dark and musty, and the air smelled like wet wood and dust. The only person in the room was a sixty-something woman sitting behind a desk marked Lobby. "Hello," Elena said timidly, laying down the paper with the inn reservation. "I have a reservation for one room under the name Gilbert?"
The woman ran her finger down a long list of names. "Sorry, honey, nothing under Gilbert."
"Um, could you try Salvatore?"
"Ah, here you are. One room for Salvatore. That's such a beautiful name—are you Italian?" Before Elena could answer, the woman reached into her desk and pulled out a single rusty key. "Up the stairs, and first door on your left."
The room was equally dark, but at least the smell of wet wood was gone. Elena flipped the switch for the single bulb. There was a bed, a desk, and a single dresser. No TV, no fridge, no closet, not even a lamp. She kicked her shoes off and flopped back on the bed.
The door opened and Damon walked in, carrying two takeout bags. "This place is such a dump. Did you notice the smell downstairs?" Elena noticed that he was carrying both bags with his right hand, and he was slightly cradling his left arm closer to his body.
"Damon, how's your arm?" Without waiting for a reply, Elena threw both bags onto the desk and tugged at Damon's jacket. "Oh my God." The black stain had crept up to his ear and the back of his neck, and was slowly spreading across his chest. "I thought Bonnie's herbs were supposed to stop it spreading!"
"It stops the hallucinations and the weakness, Elena, not the spreading." Damon winced and pulled his jacket back over his arm. "I'm fine, okay? The sooner we find this waterfall, the better."
"At least sit down." Elena moved over to make room for him on the bed. "It's a long trek tomorrow and you need your strength."
"Speaking of tomorrow, do you even know where we're headed?"
"Well." Elena ruffled through the papers Caroline had printed out. "The forest is five miles north of town. And then according to some rough maps, the waterfall is a mile into the forest, and at least five hundred feet high. That's going to be a long climb."
"Elena, look at me." Damon framed her face with his hands. "Nothing's going to go wrong, okay? We're going to find that waterfall, I'm going to drink the water, and everything will be like a storybook."
"I just wish Stefan or Caroline had come along—I can't really do anything if something happens on the climb up."
"What could go wrong?"
"Damon, there are so many things that could—"
"Shut up, Elena." Damon brushed her hair back from her face. "Besides, there's no one else I rather be here with." He leaned in and kissed her.
This chapter took forever to write-I really had to rush it along, but I didn't want to skip any important details. Do you guys think I should have a Delena make out scene coming up? I've never written one of those before...tell me what you think! xox
