Chapter 2: First Light
At first Damon wasn't exactly sure what woke him. You would think he'd sleep for ages to counteract the strain of the werewolf toxin. He opened his eyes to see that Elena was next to him, fully clothed, fallen asleep on the large bed with her cell in her hand. She was facing away from him, lying half on her side, half on her back and it was more her breathing pattern and heartbeat that told him she was asleep, rather than her closed eyes he could only see if he raised his head. The view mesmerized him however. Those features were the ones he fell in love with as Katherine's, but he wondered whether his vampire lover did ever look so young and innocent with the remains of yesterday's make up smudged a little around her eyes. Elena was using her arms as a pillow and it made her hair a little messy. With an adoring smile he reached out to smooth those locks and run his hand down her face, but remembered right in time that might wake her up and he wouldn't want that.
He seriously had to shift though. The way the curve of her back side touched his bare thighs under the covers was almost as unbearable to resist as her assistance with the washcloth the night before.
A couple of inches away, he found that he was now able to focus better and the options were between trying to go back to sleep and finding out how much the werewolf bite still affected him. He had his senses back, he knew that much immediately and after some inspection and introspection, he also found that the bite mark had completely disappeared and he felt no pain or discomfort whatsoever. Yes, well, no matter how okay he felt, the incident could not be forgotten and was with dire consequences. Did he understand well last night that Klaus was gone with Stefan? Surely Rick'd know if his apartment was free to be lived in again. Only he would not want the teacher living there at an original's playground, his friend was very welcome and much safer to stay at the Salvatore mansion as well and he would tell Rick as much if he could find his phone. Where could Elena have put his jacket? Ah, it was right next to him on the other side of the bed.
He pulled his phone out and stared at the screen. The sign of a new message was flashing on his screen and it was from Stefan. Holding his breath, the vampire opened it. "Take Elena somewhere far. Erase all her memories of me and take care of her like the Damon I saved and remember from the past."
Damon held it motionless in confusion, bewilderment and uncertainty. Stefan didn't approve of brainwashing, yet he'd asked him to perform the biggest compelling act he. had ever done. For Elena. So she didn't suffer the heartache. Which meant Stefan didn't think he would ever come back, at least not in this lifetime.
Well, he would do no such thing, he immediately decided. Why would Stefan think he'd not fight for his brother? Bloody nonsense. He had to get a move on.
Sitting up, his own nakedness became manifest to him again and he had decided it was best if he got decent before the young woman woke. Damon had enjoyed teasing her with his body in the past, but they were past that stage. Intimacy of the sort between them reminded him sorely of the fact that he could not have her, not really. He sped to his wardrobe and managed a pair of jeans on before he started feeling lightheaded. Maybe his vampire speed was not back yet and he should not force it, he advised himself, except it was too late for that. It came as a surprise to the vampire when he became certain he was going to pass out. Hanging on to the wardrobe door did not do much service to him and he hit the floor hard.
Elena woke to the noise, tensing immediately. Since she knew about vampires, she could never really relax. Her eyes anxiously searched for the cause of the thud and she jumped off the bed and rushed to the fallen man's side when it became apparent to her that Damon must've obviously overestimated his own strength. Kneeling down next to him, her mind contemplated how she should bring him back to consciousness, her gaze raking him up and down, weighing up the situation. His bare chest caught her sight once more and that made her even more nervy and edgy. She knew there was something wrong with the picture and her feelings, but she didn't have time to deal with that right now. She ran her tongue between her lips and swallowed. Look away. Concentrate. She pulled the shirt out of his hand that he was just about to put on before he lost consciousness and covered his upper body with it, more for her own sake, rather than for his. Not as if a vampire could feel the cold as a human did.
With the enticement taken out the equation, she contemplated what she could use to rouse him, cool water and washcloth again, or blood? And because Damon did not have any proper nourishment for who knows how long, she decided to go fetch a blood bag.
Neither was necessary however as she found him trying to find his footing when she came back. "Damon, let me help," she dropped the blood onto the nightstand on her way to support him and put an arm round him.
"I'm good," he straightened up, "we gotta talk to the others to find out if anyone knows something about Stefan."
"I'll update you on what I know in a minute," she manoeuvred herself under his armpit and started guiding him, "just as soon as you're back in bed," she placed her other hand on his still bare stomach to steady him.
Focussed on the feeling her proximity and her touch raised in him, Damon didn't want to argue. Not when her palm flattened on his belly caused the muscles there to contract with want.
The small movement under her fingers didn't go unnoticed by Elena though. She quickly removed her hand, assuming she was hurting him. That he was still in pain distressed and troubled her greatly and she helped him under the covers with utmost care, arranged the pillows and handed him the blood. "I only heated it up a little. I hope its ok," she winced, knowing she wasn't much of an expert at how any vampire, let alone this particular one liked his blood bags. "I already spoke to Bonnie, Alaric and Caroline. Unfortunately all we know is that Rick's apartment's empty and that a few funeral parlour workers have been compelled to arrange transport for some coffins, but they don't seem to remember anything now. Caroline's still running around checking every road out of Mystic Falls trying to chase down any vehicle that might be able to hide a coffin, but I don't think she would find them now. Klaus is gone with Stefan.." Elena trailed off, feeling utterly powerless and raging in her frustration with the most malicious Original. After all else he had done, Klaus took her lover for fun only and by no mistake, it would be partly to torment her and Damon. The oldest vampire will surface to tease and provoke them again and again and even if they'll have Stefan back this will never be over cause Klaus could not be killed and was eager to play with his victims for centuries long.
"Need to find Katherine," Damon threw the finished blood bag into the bin from several feet away, "she's either tracking them or could give a very good guess at where to find them."
"And in which direction you think Katherine went, huh?" Elena retorted, exasperated. It all seemed so hopeless to her. "Not as if that could be any different than all corners of the earth."
"I can find her. Where did you put my shoes?"
"You can find her. Really. Cause you had such good fortune finding her for a hundred and one and a half centuries, is it? Besides, you're not getting out of this bed till you recovered, understood?" She placed a light hand on his leg to accentuate her words, although carefully choosing to stay away from his still exposed chest and stomach. "Let Caroline do the work just now. She's feeling very guilty for what happened to you."
"She doesn't know the places it might be worthwhile looking for Katherine."
Elena shook her head, "humour me then, how and where is it you would go to look for Katherine?"
"She once lived in Chicago, Anna told me. Then there was Slater. Remember Rose's friend? He seemed to know more about Katherine than I did. There must be something in his files."
"Ok. Caroline will check it out as soon as possible."
"She's busy with other trails that she'd better test out while they are still hot."
"Don't argue with me Damon," Elena scolded, "a few minutes ago you passed out doing nothing more than trying to walk! And don't think I didn't notice how your stomach tensed when I did nothing more than touch it! You know how much I don't like games! Especially now, with Stefan gone and you ill. Can you just tell me the truth about how you're feeling?"
"I don't feel…" Damon's brows furrowed in confusion for a little while. All right, he should maybe not try common vampire antics just yet, but other than that, he was perfectly fine, other than perhaps in need of a shower as Elena did not wash him everywhere last night. Still, he would've preferred the washing. So what was this young girl talking about? He did not hurt anymore, not his stomach, not anywhere. Why was she fussing over him that much? Surely because she thought he was still very much unwell. "Good. I don't feel good," the words that lied left his lips before he could stop himself, like a bad habit he hadn't quite shed. Following his impulsive instincts, Damon wanted Elena to fret over him some more, touch him, be close to him, perhaps even and most importantly bond and build those bridges that always get burnt down by trust issues.
His mind had to immediately weigh the consequences too. For the first time, he considered whether he should take Stefan's advice. But lie here and do nothing about Klaus? Was there anything he could really do about Klaus right now?
It'd not be wise to take back what he's said to Elena, admit it wasn't true, it would do more harm than biting her would. So he'll have to keep playing the sick. Not as if he didn't have enough experience of it lately. Just one little diversion, for a day or two, and he'll hunt down the vampwolf. Is a little delay gonna make a difference to anything? Perhaps just a few hours, he wouldn't wanna loose all chance of tracking. No offence to Caroline, but she was a too young and a vampire for too short a time to be able to distinguish all smells.
"Okay," the brunette sighed, "what can I do?"
"That's exactly it Elena. Why would I start complaining if there isn't really anything you could do. I'm a little better and I'm sure I'll gradually improve, have to give it time."
"Where is it sore? Would massaging it not help?"
"It…it might," Damon said sheepishly, not completely convinced that deceit was the best way to go forward. Elena expected him to change and become the man she wanted him to be, but why if deception worked so well under so many circumstances.
His hesitation was once again taken as a sign of physical weakness by his carer. Elena reached out and placed her palm on his midsection, the part she had the washcloth on the night before. "Is it here Damon? You need to tell if there's anywhere else that hurts so I can at least try and do something about it."
"No, that's ok Elena, just my stomach now. Really."
The girl regarded him for a moment weighing him up, "tell me if its doing any good," she said softly and her fingers started to hesitantly trace soothing patterns round his navel. His belly was hard and tense and she doubted not for a second that it was giving him grief.
Damon held his breath. Her hand had started the trails so low and all of a sudden he was back to where they were last night, only this time it was a lot harder to contain himself as he did not feel weakened and woozy. He tried to relax and enjoy the gentle hands, but no, there was no way they could go any further. "No, no, Elena, that just makes it hurt more," he gave his excuse quickly and removed her hands.
"What can I do then?" The girl eyed him worriedly, lowering her arms. Frankly, she would've wanted to hug him and comfort him, but that would've reminded both of them too much of last night, their confessions and kiss. She couldn't go there, figuring out her feelings, it wasn't right for the moment. They had to get Stefan back first. "Do you think human painkillers would do any good?"
"Uhm, yeah, I'll try anything. Perhaps a whole pack would have some effect."
"Okay. I'll go out and get some right now. Just rest. Rick's due in any minute," she grabbed her jacket and spun into action.
Damon looked after her, muttering a quiet curse. He could fool Elena, but Rick? That could be an entirely different matter as the teacher knew him like no other.
Tbc