Chapter 9: Bargain

Damon looked like he was asleep. His skin not so sunken anymore, he still had no colour. Unmoving, he seemed exposed and defenceless, yet he was so handsome still that Elena felt aroused just by looking at him. He wasn't conscious, so this feeling was wrong, and yet she couldn't help it. Vampires felt everything magnified and Elena was afraid of herself again, of what she might do to him in her arousal. All this having to control herself all the time was debilitating. She would never get anywhere like this. The girl from Mystic Falls stood like this over him for what seemed like an eternity to just watch his chest go up and down, a habit that was so automatic for him that right this moment he could've been mistaken for a human.

But as pleasant and peaceful it felt, they could not stay at the hospital. So far Damon had even unconsciously kept up is breathing and circulation and she had been felt alone in the room with him most of the time, but someone was bound to catch on soon that he wasn't quite normal. Either that, or she'll eat one of the nurses if they bothered to come in again. Elena needed Damon's guidance, badly and urgently. She scrutinised him bewildered for another moment, his chiselled features, the blood drip in the back of his hand, the monitors showing erratic details of something that was nothing but irrelevant nonsense. Elena looked around, making sure noone was coming and shook his shoulders forcefully, "Damon! You need to wake up!"

Damon blinked a couple of times, then tried to get up startled when he saw where he was. He only got a few inches up his pillow before he grunted and fell back onto the bed.

"What are you doing? What is going on Elena?" He gave her a penetrating, perturbed look, "have you lost your mind bringing me here?"

"I'm sorry I just didn't know what to do," she whispered, "I couldn't risk trying to get you a meal myself, maybe I would've killed them and I wasn't sure you'd be able to drink anyway," she explained, "did you get enough blood?" She swallowed, "its kinda hard being here, too many humans..Do you think we could go now? Are you ok?"

Damon focussed his attention inwardly, then gave a prudent answer, moving his limbs a little to test his limits, "I don't know..." He looked around searchingly, feeling really out of place. He couldn't believe Elena would bring him to a hospital, it was insane. "But with a little help I should be able to get out of here," he untangled himself from the drip.

Elena guided an arm under his back while he would his around her neck to shakily draw himself up. He was leaning on her a lot more than intended, but at least he didn't need to worry that human Elena would not be able to take his weight. "Let's fly," he suggested, looking into the window's direction. The young vampire frowned, confused. Surely Damon wasn't suggesting turning into a crow and taking her with him? He laughed at her expression and jumped, holding onto her. They were on the second floor and so had no trouble landing on their feet unharmed. There was a spark in Elena's eyes running out the courtyard, her appreciation growing for her new abilities as they leapt over the fence. Maybe being a vampire wasn't so bad after all.

Damon halted by the next corner though, grabbing for the wall for support lightheaded and she was reminded again of her transgressions. "I'm so sorry Damon," she blurted, "do you need more blood?"

"Always," Damon rolled his eyes, his answer attempting to make her feel better about what she has done, "when do I not? But.."

Her hands grabbed for him, interrupting his words and she wrapped her arms around his waist and just held onto him, offering support, which he took very willingly. Much more pleasant option than the wall at any case. He was somewhat heavy and limp in her arms, but not all of him. Elena's eyes widened as she realised what it was. Whoa, her senses were so heightened, could it be really that she was smelling of the scent of his arousal? She pressed her side closer into him just to check, yes, his cock must had hardened instantly in his pants the moment she touched him, this is how it felt experiencing it with her new vampire sense. She shuddered, groaning needily, a response she would've and always suppressed as a human, but as a newly turned supernatural being she did not know how to. Her eyes closed involuntarily in deja vu, she had held him before like this, under the shower, eliciting the same reaction from him. She would've never thought memories coloured, deepened and became more detailed with her newfound abilities as well, but she could almost feel the water droplets tricking down his body, making her clothes stick to her. The feel of his naked skin beneath her fingers had been quite hard to ignore back then, but now she thought the feeling was indescribable. She spread her fingers wide on his sides, just like she did when helping him get washed, desire burning through her urging her to frantically trace every inch of him with her fingers. She never felt anything like this before, not with this revelling intensity as if it would've been oil burning in her veins.

"Hey," Damon roused her from her half-comatose-with-desire state by pushing her away. When she looked up to see why, she found him staring down at her with an expression one of reassuring warmth and affection. Nobody could be irate when regarded like that and his gaze also told her he knew exactly how she felt. "Sorry," he finally said, reluctantly setting her aside to pull a blood bag out his pocket he so conveniently picked up before they left the hospital. "Not out here in the alleyway," he suggested, drinking up. It looked like he'd need his strength for something entirely different next.

"Where then?"

"On the top of the world," Damon winked at her and took her by the hand. Judging from the strength he had in his arms to pull her back towards the river, he must've regained most of his energy.

Elena shivered in anticipation from the guilty pleasure of his touch.

Tbc