Wow, thank you to all that read my first post on fanfiction. I was pretty amazed at how many hits it got. Anyway, as you can see, I am choosing to continue this story. Please read and review. The reviews really make my day.
It had been a few days since Stefan had become trapped in the tomb, and as much as Damon had put Elena at ease that night, time had seemed to slowly build her worries again. He couldn't really blame her. With Bonnie trying to rebuild her strength, there didn't seem to be much they could do about Stefan not to mention Ethan was still as elusive as ever. His absence should have come as a relief, but it unnerved Damon to no end. As many times as he had played the cat and mouse game himself, he wasn't nearly as much of a fan of it when he was the mouse. He could tell that Elena felt the same as she along with Alaric, Jeremy, and Bonnie searched helplessly through dusty book after dusty book in the Salvatore library.
"You think something as old as these Originals that have been around for forever, would have a bit of information on them," Jeremy sighed as he slammed yet another book closed.
"They're the Originals, they like to remain mysterious. Comes with the territory," Damon answered with a bit of annoyance in his tone.
"Look, can we just stop with this ridiculous research," Bonnie started. "The only way we're going to unlock this curse on this moonstone or save Stefan for that matter is magic. I know I'm still pretty weak, but I think if I try this empowering enchantment I might be able…"
"No!" Elena and Jeremy shouted simultaneously.
"Absolutely not," Elena reinforced adamantly.
"We already went over this. You're not strong enough," Jeremy continued with a pleading look in his eye as he stared Bonnie down.
"I know I scared you guys, but this time would be different…" Bonnie stubbornly tried to explain splitting her stare between both Elena and Jeremy.
"I'm not going to let you hurt yourself, Bonnie. Look, I know you want to help, but we're not going to even consider it till your strength comes back."
"I get that you're scared, Elena…"
"Scared? Scared, I'm terrified. Everything is a mess, and I have absolutely no control. The one thing I can do is keep my best friend from doing something stupid that could jeopardize her life. So trust me when I say I'm not letting you do any magic right now," Elena said fiercely.
"I love you, Elena, but you don't get to make that choice for me"
"She doesn't, but I do," Damon stood rejoining the conversation upon seeing how upset Elena was getting, and suddenly all eyes were on him. "I say when you work your wicka-voo-doo, and right now they're right. You are nowhere near strong enough right now. There's going to be no magic from you until you've gotten your strength back so you might as well sit your Harry-Potter-Wanna-Be ass down."
This left Bonnie starring at him with all the hatred she could muster. Damon didn't doubt that if she did indeed have her strength she would have been inflicting pain on him right now. Finally, she made her way back to the book she was studying and whipped it shut and into her back with a resounding thud.
"Well, I guess I'm of no use to you guys then," she stated as she marched angrily to the door.
All were silent until Jeremy got up to follow her as he explained, "I'm going to make sure she gets home okay. I'll see you at home, Elena?"
"Ya, of course," she answered dejectedly.
The three of them remained in heavy silence for a moment until Alaric spoke for the first time. "I better head out too. I promised Jenna I'd make it for dinner. Elena, can I give you a ride?"
However, Elena hadn't even caught his words as she stared out the back window at the darkening, cloudy sky. It seemed to capture her mood perfectly and she was tempted to laugh out bitterly at the irony of it all. At least Jeremy seemed to be on her side this time around. In fact, he seemed to be as worried or even more so for her best friend. He had jumped in the tomb with Katherine without any hesitation all in an effort to protect her best friend. Her brother, biological or not, seemed to be more like herself than she cared to admit. They made a beautiful martyred, sibling twosome. She knew there was more to Jeremy's concern for Bonnie, but at the moment Elena couldn't allow herself to go there.
Damon having sensed her disconnection answered for her, "No, I got her. I'll bring her home."
Alaric looked at Elena on last time before nodding and making his exit. After the door shut Damon made his way to sit next to Elena who was still lost in her own trance. He slipped his hand around the back of the couch behind her and waited for her to snap out of her thoughts. A few seconds later, Elena glanced to Alaric's empty seat and then to Damon beside her.
"Wow, we sure know how to clear a room, don't we?" she laughed sadly.
"Not many have that ability. Count yourself lucky."
"Lucky isn't a word I'd use to explain myself right about now,"
"I wouldn't be too sure if I were you. You're sitting next to the most handsome and available bachelor Mystic Falls has to offer. Doesn't that count for something?" Damon smiled finally catching her cloudy stare. God, how he wanted to put a smile on that vacant face.
"You know it amazes me that you can still make comments like that after the afternoon we just had," she sighed. "How do you do that?"
"Easy. I'm an ass," Damon announced with pompous glee in his eye. Elena wanted to rebuke him for his immaturity, but instead settled for her patented eye roll as he continued dramatically, "It took years of practice and honing, but here I stand today and I'm proud to admit I've perfected the craft. I could teach you if you wanted." He smiled as he leaned just a bit closer to her with amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Ahh, no thanks. I mean you pull it off so well, I'd just be a disappointment to you," she announced deciding to follow his sarcastic lead.
"Well, you'll never be as good as me, but then again who could be," Damon winked. "That doesn't mean you woudn't make a worthy understudy."
"I'm sure I will regret this, but I must decline," Elena said with an overdramatic squint to her eyes and hand to her heart. She got up to make her way to her coat, but before she got there Damon stood in front of her with it in his hand.
"Oh no, no, no, no. We can't have you regretting anything."
"Damon…"
"Come on, Elena. One night. No worrying. No pouting. No rules. No apologies…"
"No conscience," she supplied with a quirk of the eyebrow.
"Exactly! See, you're already catching on," he exclaimed. He stood motionless in front of her surveying her with that annoyingly sexy smirk. "One night, Elena. Say what you want. Do what you want. No repercussions. I think you've earned it. Don't you?"
Elena wanted to argue, but anything sounded better than the night she knew she had in store for herself. It involved obsessive worrying, useless anger, and her favorite—nightmare-filled sleeping. Before she knew what she was saying she was agreeing to whatever trouble Damon had up his sleeve. Hell, being good and selfless had gotten her nowhere. Why not try selfish and indifferent? Not to mention, Damon's victorious smile was more than contagious.
"So where to?" she asked
"Well, I usually do my best work with a bit of warm blood flowing through my system, but since you're not likely to go cannibal for me, we'll have to settle for a bit of liquid courage instead. To the bar, m'lady?" Damon asked chivalrously offering his arm to Elena.
"Cut the chivalry. Sweetness isn't your strong suit, Damon," she said as she grabbed her coat out of his other arm and walked purposely to the door entirely ignoring his extended arm.
"You might be better at this than you think," Damon said as he dropped his arm and was left shaking his head.
Elena flashed him the first genuine smile of the night before she turned and disappeared out the door. Damon was getting better and better at getting Elena out of her funk. Maybe tonight he could finally, truly get back in her good graces. Either way, seeing Elena let loose would be more than worth it. She had only truly done so once before in a bar in Georgia ironically enough. It was there that they first started creating a friendship, and that fact wasn't lost on Damon. He was determined to make things right with Elena.