Elena's POV (Two months later):
Elena collapsed on the grass in the middle of the forest, she struggled to catch a breath as her chest heaved up and down. She could feel her throat burning, that horrible feeling you get when you've ran too much.
"Get up," Damon told her sternly standing over her with an bemused expression on his face. She groaned unable to find the strength to argue with him and rolled over turning away from him. He crouched beside her and offered her a towel which she took graciously. He laid down on the grass beside her facing the bright blue sky.
"You're letting me off?" She gasped the cold air cooling down the burning feeling in her trachea. "Careful Damon, I think you're going soft."
"Don't tempt me to make you do another lap," he threatened, shutting her up. She knew how serious he was being from past experience.
They remained as they were for a beat or two, her sprawled on the grass fighting for air and him lying beside her on his back, his arms folded neatly behind his head with his eyes closed. She watched him curiously; he looked different — beautifully peaceful. His hair, dark as the midnight gleamed under the sunlight, she noticed that he wore it longer than he used to. She was surprised by her ability to notice the small changes in him now, but it was expected as they spent a lot of time together training.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked bravely, he opened his eyes and turned his head to face her.
"You want to see me naked?" he guessed.
"Stop it; can't you be serious for like five minutes?"
"Okay. What is it that you want to know?" He watched her intently, his blue eyes searching hers.
"Anything," she admitted lamely. "I've known you for a while now, but I still feel like I don't know…know you."
"I'm going to need a less vague answer on that."
"I want to know everything and anything. For example, do you have any siblings?"
"A brother, but he and I are estranged. I haven't seen him since I turned." His voice was factual and lacked any hint of emotion. I need to dig a little deeper she figured.
"You don't miss him?"
"Nope."
"How did you and Klaus meet?"
"We met in the 20's when he saved my life, long story."
Knowing she wouldn't be able to pull anything out of him she sighed heaving and shifted to lay on her side, her body facing his.
"You're not giving me elaborate answers."
"You didn't specify on the kind of answers you wanted, Elena. Ding, ding ding! Your five minutes of question and answer time is up. Let's go," he jumped to his feet and offered her his hand to haul her up. Rolling her eyes she placed her hand delicately in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. They stood close to one another, not saying much. She brushed past him awkwardly and started jogging.
"Come on then, let's train!" she called out to him before breaking into a sprint.
The following day, they finished their training session slightly early as they were greeted by a thunderous sky shadowed by dark clouds. She wiped her face with a towel grabbing her water bottle when she felt rain sprinkling down on her skin.
"Dammit," she sighed looking up at the sky. "We're going to be caught in the thunder storm. Do you see how much this training inconveniences me?"
"Yes, completely. I understand how getting stuck in the rain is much more serious than learning to protect your own life," he told her sarcastically pulling out car keys from his back pocket.
She pulled a face at him behind his back, aware of how childish this made her, before dragging her feet after him. She got into the passenger seat of his car and buckled up her seatbelt. The drive back would approximately take them thirty minutes as they met up somewhere far away from Mystic Falls to exclude the threat of someone they knew walking into them. She silently watched through the window as it begun raining heavily, her mind drifting to her inner demons. Could she trust Damon? Over the past months, she had grown fonder of him. Well she had learned to not want to kill him all the time anyway which was progress. Things with Matt however had become much more strained, she had begun avoiding him. The guilt was driving her insane, how could she look at him in the eyes and tell him that she had almost kissed another guy. The betrayal would cut him deep; she didn't want to hurt him. On the other hand, she could no longer ignore this fire between Damon and her; she could feel it burning up inside of her every time she was within his vicinity. He was a vampire, how could she feel that way about him — she asked herself angrily.
"Can I trust you?" she blurted out, he turned to look at her quizzically but didn't reply. "I said, can I trust you."
"You tell me," he grinned, but it appeared forced.
"Don't do that; don't turn this into a joke. Truth is that I'm going insane with worry. I don't know anything about you."
"I answered the questions you had," he replied his voice calm and calculated. He had averted his eyes to look at the road ahead of them.
"No, you didn't. You gave me the absolute minimal that you could!" She snapped feeling surprisingly angry. She hadn't expected things to turn into an argument but she could feel that they were heading for a rocky path. He drove silently, unresponsive, his eyes locked on the windscreen.
"What's your agenda? Why are you helping me?" she whispered chewing on her lower lip. There, she'd said it. She had asked the question that had been burning a hole at the back of her mind for weeks. Here she was, lying to her family and friends, trusting him with her life and he couldn't even give her a simple answer.
"I'm not doing this for you if that's what you're asking. I have my own reasons, but they're none of your business," he told her harshly as the car stopped at a red light.
"None of my business?! I have put my life in your hands you arrogant dick!" She hissed before pulling the door open and jumping out of the stationary vehicle into the pouring rain.
"Are you insane? Elena, get in the car." He looked at her narrowing his eyes. She slammed the door shut and began walking quickly down the deserted sidewalk. Damon drove slowly beside her, matching her pace. He lowered the window and called out her name. Completely soaked through, she dug her hands deep into her pocket, and then increased her pace turning a quick corner into a narrow alleyway. She shivered against the cold, her long brown hair plastered against her face. She heard the sound of a car door being slammed and Damon swearing in exasperation. She began jogging unaware of where she was going, anywhere where he couldn't follow her was the basic idea. Elena was mainly furious at herself for letting him get under her skin. Damon zoomed in front of her stopping her in her tracks as he blocked her path. She made a move to dodge him but he grabbed at her arm holding her still.
He stood, not caring that the rain was soaking him through; his hair, like hers clung to his head. His blue eyes turned soft as he locked eyes with hers. "I'm sorry."
"Let go of me," she hissed her voice loudly carrying through the rain, she managed to shake him off but as she started walking away, he caught a hold of her left arm and swung her around to face him.
"I didn't mean what I said. Look Elena, I'm no good. I'm trouble, you're probably better off hating me," he told her gently his hands still holding her firmly in front of him. This was the first time he had shown her any form of emotion or vulnerability, gone was all the humor and arrogance. He looked at her so intensely she could feel his eyes burning through her. She stopped struggling against him, knowing it'd be hopeless.
"You don't understand how much I'm risking. I've put my faith in you despite all of my instincts telling me to run in the opposite direction. I'm trusting you, but I can't do that knowing that there's a chance that you may screw me over. I can't look at my boyfriend in the face anymore because all I feel is self-hatred and guilt over the feelings I have when I'm around you so yes, Damon. I do hate you," she spoke the words with clarity, forcing them out before she could back out. A thunder ripped through the sky, illuminating them in the deserted alleyway. "I hate myself for walking into the Grill that day and bumping into you, I hate you for making me second guess my relationship with Matt. I hate you—"
She was silenced by Damon, who hooked his fingers on the waistband of her jeans and pulled her towards him until her body was against his. He lifted her chin with the tip of his fingers as his lips came crashing down on hers pushing her closer towards him. She froze for a nanosecond before her body responding and intertwining with his. The only thing between them was their thin wet shirts that clung to their bodies not providing much of a barrier; she could feel the heat radiating from his body as she placed her hands around his neck forcing his mouth against hers. He placed his arms on her waist and pushed her backwards until her back was against the concrete wall. His lips travelled to her neck, trailing soft kissed along her collarbone. She trembled under his touch, feeling both weak and empowered. She tugged at his hair as his lips found hers again, exploring her mouth. She took a sharp intake of breath when he slowly nibbled on her lower lip, tugging at it playfully with his teeth. The feeling of his touch was electrifying, but wrong.
She pushed him away placing a hand on his chest to prevent him from coming towards her as the reality of their situation came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. Matt. She breathed heavily her heart hammering against her chest, Damon looked at her his eyes dark with desire and confusion.
"We can't," she breathed shaking her head.
"Because I'm a vampire?" He asked his tone taking a cold edge.
"No! Yes—I don't know. I'm sorry." She stammered lamely pushing wet hair out of her face. She had cheated on Matt, a cold shiver ran through her body, and not because of the cold.
"I'll drive you home." Was all he said before retreating back to where his car was park. She silently walked after him her heart racing. They both remained silent throughout the entire journey, the air between them crackling with tension. Whatever this was, it wasn't anything she had ever felt before and it scared her senseless.
Authors note: Quickly whizzed up this chapter before jumping into my lovely bed. You know the drill, leave me comments and I will be forced to update asap. Rant,scream. Was Elena wrong for kissing Damon back whilst still in a relationship? Tell me what you like, tell me what you don't like. I'm here for feedback! Until next time guys!
