Baby I've been here before, I've seen this room and I've walked this floor, I used to live alone before I knew you and I've seen your flag on the marble arch and love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah.- Jeff Buckley; Hallelujah
Stefan awoke slowly, feeling as though he was wading through a lake of honey. His brain felt cloudy, like it was cocooned in cotton wool. His face felt stiff and sore. His body was aching, it felt as though all his muscles had been broken and then repaired. Above all that though, he felt as though he'd done something wrong, said something wrong; as though he'd said something bad and had been punished for it, like he used to feel when father was mad at him, although, father was never really mad at him, it was mostly Damon that father had issues with. The thought of Damon brought everything back with a smash; catching Damon and Elena together, being so angry, saying things to Damon; the thoughts that he had never worded. He remembered Damon jumping him, punching and punching, the cold fury that had sat in his eyes, feeling as though Damon was going to kill him- permanently this time.
He let his senses stretch, listening carefully. He could not hear any movement in the house, could not sense any other being –human or vampire- in the house, it seemed as though he was all alone. But where would they be, where would Elena be? He sent his powers out further, scoping out the whole town, expecting to sense her aura at her house or at Bonnie's or Meredith's, but he didn't. He couldn't sense her anywhere. He was starting to panic now, where on earth could she be? His Elena would not just up and leave like this, especially not after Damon had almost killed him. Damon. The thought sent shivers through his body. Yes, Elena may have been so sure that Damon had changed, that he wasn't completely evil, but Stefan knew better, knew that there was absolutely nothing redeemable about his brother. Elena wouldn't just leave with Damon, she wouldn't do that to me, not after all we've been through. A thought slowly snaked its way into Stefan's head, Elena wouldn't just leave with Damon, he knew Elena and that just wasn't her. Damon must have taken her, forced her to go with him; kidnapped her. Yes, that must be it; there was no way Elena would leave him for Damon.
Anger seemed to seep into Stefan, sinking into his being through his pours, wrapping its way around his heart. He would get Elena back, they belonged together. He would hunt Damon down and kill him, he'd get Elena home safely and back to him if it was the last thing he did. Why can Damon just not accept that she's chosen me? Why can he not just move on? He slid out of bed, wincing as his muscles and bones strained as he put weight on them. He limped to his wardrobe and pulled out a blue shirt, discarding the ripped and bloody one that he had been wearing. He ran out of the house using his vampire speed, sprinting into the old Wood behind the house, eager to find an animal or two to drink from; he needed to build his strength, so he could find his Elena.
"What do you think?" Elena asked as she emerged from the bathroom, twirling around so Damon could get a full view of the dress. Elena, personally, loved it. It was blue, so close to the blue of her lapis Lazuli eyes, it came in at the waist, accentuating her tiny frame and then flew out slightly, ending around her calves.
"You're perfect" Damon smiled from where he was splayed on the bed.
Elena's whole being warmed at Damon's words, how could someone so unbelievably stunning think that she was perfect? She gazed at Damon from where she stood by the bathroom door. He was lying shirtless on the bed, the white sheets cocooned around his legs, mixing with the milky white of his skin. His black hair was still wet and slicked back from the shower, showing even more of his exquisite face; the face that looked like it had been carved by angels.
She walked over to him smiling, wanting to feel his arms around her. Damon sat up and grabbed her hands, pulling her down on top of him, where he proceeded to kiss and nibble her neck. She moaned softly, enjoying the contact, enjoying the way his cool lips felt on her burning skin. She could sense that he was hungry and was eager to give him something, she didn't care that she's just given him her blood last night, didn't care that they were being reckless; she was so wrapped up in Damon Salvatore. She felt the brief sting of his fangs before her world exploded, leaving her in a haze of colour and light. She felt like she was floating, drifting on clouds, the stars and comets shooting above her head. She was lost in oblivion; her body convulsing as she dug her nails into Damon's back, clinging on for dear life. She felt her eyelids becoming heavy, her limbs becoming languid and tired. Darkness clouded the edge of her vision, begging her to surrender. Damon retracted his fangs out of her neck and bit into his own wrist, like always, Elena was entranced by the slight of the dark red blood marring his translucent skin. She brought her lips to it, closing them in a kiss around the two droplets of blood, then started to suck, savouring the flavour of Damon's exquisite blood. After a while she pulled away, feeling stronger and back to her old self.
"I should carry on getting ready" She breathed, feeling giddy after their intimacy.
"How about we just stay in bed?" Damon purred grinning wickedly, slowly running his hand up her exposed thigh; her dress had ridden up.
Elena shivered, but pushed his hand away.
"You promised to take me out tonight! So we're going out"
"As you wish my lady" He sounded every bit the fifthteenth century aristocrat as he said that, flashing her his trademark wicked grin.
She hopped up from the bed and wandered into the bathroom, smiling at the mess Damon had left in there; his clothes were strewn over the floor and his shower gel was lying open, discarded on the floor. She stood in front of the mirror and got started on her make-up, enjoying the soothing normality of getting ready to go out. She'd barely worn make-up since she'd died- the first time, to become a vampire- and found it fun to apply the products and watch her transformation, seeing the way her face had changed since she'd been alive, well, properly, technically alive anyway. She applied foundation, and then a little bit of blush to give her face some colour. Next she moved to her eyes, accentuating them with eyeliner and mascara. She finished the look with a dap of red lipstick. She slicked her hair back into and elegant bun, then surveyed her reflection. She looked grown up, which pleased her; she felt like a woman, not the little girl she always felt like in comparison to Damon. She walked back into the bedroom and was struck speechless.
Damon was standing in the middle of the room. The first thing that struck her, was that he wasn't wearing all black; he had a white button down shirt on, moulding his muscles and slim frame perfectly. His black trousers were slightly skinny and perfectly pressed, matching the colour of his hair exactly. His hair was even silkier than usual, casting rainbow reflections off it from every angle, sweeping across his forehead, framing his face perfectly. Elena's eyes flicked to his and the look sitting in them made her shiver; it was pure love, desire and appreciation. She felt more beautiful than she ever had in that moment, she felt so beautiful and alive, more alive than she'd ever felt before.
She turned to the full length mirror, dragging her eyes away from Damon and surveyed her reflection once again. Yes, she definitely did like the dress, it fit her perfectly. In a flash, Damon was behind her, his arms encircling her waist, pressing her back against him. He rested his chin on her shoulder and smiled at her in the mirror. Elena couldn't help but notice that they fit each other perfectly; it couldn't just be a coincidence how well they fit together. His arms were the perfect length and shape to encircle her, his chin fit exactly into the crook of her neck and when their fingers were intertwined, it was like they were one.
"We're perfect" He whispered into her ear, dropping a kiss onto her bare shoulder.
Elena turned to face him, hoping to show him with her eyes how much she loved him and how happy she was to be here with him, just wasting time with him. He kissed her softly and yearningly, the way she'd dreamed of being kissed, before she'd met the Salvatore brothers; when none of the boys she'd been with had actually meant anything to her. He pulled away and Elena let out a laugh; her red lipstick had come off on his lips, Elena was surprised to find that she found him extremely attractive like that, the red contrasting with his skin. He laughed too and ran the back of his hand across his mouth; rubbing off the lipstick. He took her hand and led her out of the hotel room they were staying in and out of the hotel. They emerged onto the street laughing and blissfully happy, fingers intertwined.
They were seated in a restaurant, the fanciest one Damon could find, because as he'd explained to her earlier; 'You deserve the best Elena' he was so sweet. She put another forkful of salad in her mouth and sighed in satisfaction, it was so good. The hand that she was not using to wield her fork was holding Damon's across the table; she couldn't bear to be parted from him. He was toying with the engagement ring on her finger, and she smiled as she gazed down at it. She couldn't wait to be Damon's wife, sure her and Stefan had been engaged, but she'd never been desperate to marry him; on the contrary, she always seemed to be finding excuses as to why she couldn't marry him. With Damon it was different; there was nothing she desired more.
"I can't wait to be your wife, I can't wait for it to be official" She smiled, her voice made breathy with excitement.
"Neither can I. You know; I never thought I'd do this, get married. Even when I was human, I just never wanted it, never wanted to settle down with children and a wife, never wanted to grow old with someone"
"And now you do? You want that with me?"
"Yes, I want you, nothing or no one else, just you. Before you though, I never even considered it, I never even considered, settling down with kids, well, us vampires can't procreate so that'll never happen, but still, and living in a suburb in Connecticut with a wife"
"When I was with Stefan, I never wanted to be a vampire, not even when I was one; I resented it. I loved Stefan, but not enough to give up my life for him, not enough to spend eternity with him. But now I'm with you, I consider it on a daily basis, when I wake up in the night, I think about you and me for eternity, and it makes me want it. It makes me want to be with you until the end of time."
Damon looked shocked for a second, like he couldn't believe what she'd just said and then leaned forward and kissed her hand, staring at her with those endless midnight orbs of his. Elena couldn't resist; she leaned forward and kissed him, their lips locking in an ancient dance that they'd both mastered.
"I love you" Damon whispered against her lips, his cool breath hitting her softly.
"I love you too" She replied, giving him another peck.
Damon pulled away, and flashed her that wicked grin, diffusing the atmosphere. There was mischief in his black eyes, as he stared down at her now empty plate, then back to her eyes.
"Want to do something completely immature and fun?" He whispered.
"Yes" She replied, not even thinking about it; she'd do anything with Damon.
He looked around and she followed his eyes to their waiter on the other side of the restaurant. One more flash of that wicked grin and then he was off, pulling her with him. There was uproar in the restaurant as they saw Damon and Elena run out without paying. The waiter shouted after them, but they barely heard. They ran and kept on running, their hands joined, Damon half dragging Elena with him as he ran at human pace. They stopped about six blocks away, Elena panting and Damon roaring with laughter, excitement was fizzling in the air between them.
"Damon! I didn't know that was what you wanted to do!" Elena panted, trying to hold back a grin.
"Don't lie, you loved it!" He chuckled, pulling her into an alley and kissing her passionately, his hands roaming over her body, finally tangling up in her hair, just the way she liked it.
He pulled away, smiling again, but it was a different smile, the one that he only ever offered to her; a secret smile.
"Let me take you somewhere else" He said softly, with a look of anticipation in his eyes, as though he was scared that she would say no.
"Anywhere, I'll go anywhere with you"
He took her hand, intertwining their fingers and led her around some back streets. If Elena didn't know better, she would have said that Damon had no idea where he was going, but she knew Damon and she'd bet you one hundred dollars that he would never get lost unintentionally. They walked for a little longer and Elena enjoyed it, the crisp winter air, the stars sitting up in the sky, so like the ones that lay in Damon's eyes.
Damon stopped at what looked like and abandoned building; boards sat over the windows and main door, and the only other thing she could see was a staircase leading down, presumably to a basement. Damon flashed her another smile, then led her down the steps, into dense darkness. He banged on the door that sat in front of them several times and then it swung open, revealing a large man; a bouncer no doubt. Damon said something to the man quietly, so quietly that Elena could not hear. But whatever he had said seemed to have done the trick as the man stepped aside and motioned for them to pass through. They walked down a small corridor, completely pitch black with no lighting; Elena let Damon lead her through. Damon paused then opened another door.
The world split open with music and light. All Elena could see was a blur of dancing bodies and flashes off colour coming off dresses and suits. The music was old fashioned jazz, the type that you could dance properly to, like all the couples around them were doing. A live band played, the music was loud and uplifting; music from a different time. Damon pulled her through the door, closing it behind them. This place was obviously unauthorised and secret, but that just made it better; more exciting. Damon pulled her onto the crowded dance floor and started spinning her, leading her into a fast jive. Elena's dress flared out at Damon spun her gracefully, moving with the grace of a sleek panther. Elena threw her head back and laughed in happiness, she absorbed the atmosphere around her, catching glimpses of other dancing couples, none quite as graceful as her and Damon. She looked onto Damon's face which was filled with happiness and light; he was magnificent, like an angel sent down to Earth, well a devilish angel anyway. He continued to spin her and dance with her until Elena was sweating and dizzy, her hair dishevelled and the straps of her dress falling down.
They'd danced for hours, barely seeing the people around them come and go. They'd barely left the dance floor, only to get Elena glasses of water and Damon whiskey. The club was emptying up now, just a few couples left swaying on the dance floor. The music had slowed as well, turning more romantic and soft. Elena and Damon were barely moving now, just swaying the circle of one another's arms. Elena's head was rested on Damon's shoulder, her eyes closed in contentment, breathing in the sweet, unique smell of him. Damon's head was bent to rest on Elena's his lips in her hair, kissing her head softly. Elena lifted her head to look into Damon's eyes, happy to see the stars captured in the depths of them. There was no mischief left in them now, merely love and another emotion that Elena could not decipher, but whatever it was, it made her feel tingly on the inside.
"I love you" She said, voicing the thoughts that were flying in her head.
"I love you too" He replied, enjoying the happy flash in her eyes.
He bent his head to capture her lips, Elena yielded to him, moulding her lips against his. His hands once again found their way into her hair, tangling themselves knowingly in the blonde mass. Elena closed her eyes, exhausted from the dancing and the excitement of the night; this was definitely the best night of her life. Damon pulled away from her and Elena kept her eyes shut, enjoying the feeling of his sweet breath hitting her face. She moulded her body against his, putting her full weight on him; letting him hold her up.
"Do you want to get out of here Elena?" He asked softly and she nodded in agreement, finally opening her eyes.
Damon intertwined their fingers once again and started to lead her out of the club. Elena let her eyes survey the magnificent room one last time, taking in the large stage and the decorative dance floor, who would have thought that this could be in the basement of an abandoned building? They emerged into the cold air and Elena suppressed a shiver at the heat of the inside contrasted against the cold winter air. Damon surprised Elena by sweeping her up off her feet, picking her up like a newlywed bride; she closed her eyes and let her mind wander to what her wedding and wedding night would be like. It will be perfect as long as I'm with Damon she though, a smile finding its way onto her lips. She relaxed into Damon's strong arms, burying her head into his chest, breathing in the smell of his shirt. She fell asleep like that, in the arms of her dark knight as he carried her back to her castle.