After what happened in episode 4x18, I thought we could all use a hot DE moment. Note: explicit sexual content.
Elena didn't bother to ask where Damon was he taking her for their impromptu booze fest. There was a time when she would've been annoyed that he was taking her someplace without telling her where. Now, she was simply happy to be with him and even happier that he seemed to want her with him. Already her head was spinning slightly from the two shots she'd downed before leaving. By no means was she a light weight, but since she hadn't eaten much all day, the alcohol was working on her system quicker than usual. Then again, maybe it was because she'd been chugging on the bottle she had in her lap since they'd left the Grille. The thought made her laugh to herself. He's right. I do drink like a sailor. Her attention snapped back into focus when Damon stopped the car. She looked out the window to see an old familiar haunt, and then glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow curiously. "The cemetery?"
The corners of his mouth moved downward into a 'why not' expression. He shrugged and said, "This used to be your favorite hangout right? I thought it was fitting seeing as how we're both dead and all. The only difference between us and them," he said pointing out at the cemetery, "is we can still have fun." Sporting a sarcastic grin, he winked at her, and then tossed back his bottle, taking in a big gulp of Tequila.
Elena shook her head, smiling at his twisted sense of humor, as she opened the door to get out. In the distance, she heard the rumble of thunder and wondered if an outdoor party tonight was the best idea. "Did you hear that?"
For a moment, Damon studied the looming clouds but decided they weren't a threat. "It looks like it's moving away from us. We should be fine. Come on." He motioned with his hand for her to follow.
They made their way through the cemetery in relative silence. Elena walked behind Damon, stepping over tombstones as they went. She didn't understand where they were going. For her, anywhere would've been good enough to plop down while they drank, but Damon seemed to have a specific location in mind. Suddenly he stopped, causing her to slam into him and bounce off like she hit a brick wall. Just as she was about to say 'what the hell', she noticed him staring at the ground. She followed his gaze to see what had him so transfixed and was taken aback at the realization. Damon didn't catch sight of the somber way Elena stared at him, as he looked down at Ric's grave. Alaric had been his only real friend, and he'd been taken away from him. No, not just taken away. He had died twice in Damon's presence, once actually in his arms. It wasn't as though she didn't know he missed Ric. He didn't have to say it. It was obvious by the way he never let anyone take over Ric's spot at the bar. What troubled Elena was that she'd been so caught up in her own transitional drama, and the mistake she made in choosing Stefan, that she never stopped to see his loneliness and pain. It wasn't just losing the woman he loved to his brother that hurt Damon. His loss had been exacerbated by the death of his one true friend. Yet even now, after she'd adjusted, she hadn't bothered to ask how he was coping. All she had been focused on was trying to convince him of her feelings. The thought that she could be so self-centered and clueless to his suffering tore at her heart. Way to go Elena. Great way to prove your love.
When Damon finally looked up, he noticed a sorrowful look in Elena's eyes, yet he knew it wasn't for Ric. He could see that it was meant for him, and he found it unsettling. There was really no reason to conceal his feelings around Elena anymore. By now she knew him well enough to see the truth behind his facade. In fact, she knew him better than his own brother did. Old habits die hard, he supposed. Or maybe since their night together, there was a part of him that felt the need to throw up that protective wall again. Vulnerability was not his thing, not after Katherine had ripped his heart out and stomped on it. Either way, his fall back response was always to inject some levity into a situation. He gave her an uneasy smirk, raising the bottle in his hand, and giving it a little shake in front of them. "Thought we'd stop and share a drink with Ric seeing as how you downed his shot earlier."
Elena knew all too well his deflection tactics. She'd seen it many times before. Nevertheless, she flashed a weak smile meant to humor him. She raised her bottle and tapped it against his in a toast to Ric. They each took a huge gulp from their prospective bottles before Elena's face turned sober again. Her eyes pleaded for forgiveness, and her voice was loaded with regret. "I'm sorry Damon. I've been so selfish, not just about you and Stefan but about Ric too."
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been so blinded by my own problems and feelings that I didn't even notice how much you were hurting. Jeremy and I aren't the only ones who lost Ric. You lost him too, and all I could think about was myself."
Mid-swig, he pulled the bottle away from his lips. He scrunched his face and shook his head. He shrugged his arms out at his sides at the absurdity. Irritation was apparent in his voice. "You were transitioning Elena."
"Yeah, in the beginning, but that doesn't excuse now. You've always been there for me when I needed you, and I should have done the same for you. Instead, once again it was all about Elena," she said, disgusted with herself. She took a big gulp from her bottle, making a sour face as the liquid burned her throat.
Damon's expression softened. Her self-condemnation made him uncomfortable especially since it revolved around him. The truth was he willingly put his own feelings on the back burner any time she needed him. In his mind, her happiness and safety were more important than his own. He would literally die to take away her pain. Turning away, he took a few steps towards the stone bench across from Ric's headstone. He let out a groaning sigh. As he slowly sat down, resting his elbows on his knees, he rolled the bottle mindlessly back and forth between his palms. "It's fine Elena."
She walked over and sat down next to him, placing her hand on his knee. Gently, she said, "I know you miss him Damon. I miss him too."
Damon rolled his bottom lip into his mouth, firmly scraping his top teeth over it. Glancing over at Elena and seeing her empathetic stare, he resigned himself to the fact that there was no sense in hiding his feelings from her. "He was a good friend." He tilted the lip of the bottle towards Ric's grave. "Here's to you buddy." Swiftly, he guzzled down another mouthful to kill the ache in his heart.
Elena raised her bottle too. "To you Ric. We miss you." She took another giant gulp, hiccupping mid-swallow. When she pulled the bottle away, her hand shot up to her mouth in surprise, as she attempted to stifle the next hiccup. Embarrassed, she cast a glance at Damon, who already had an amused smirk on his face. "Sorry."
Abruptly, it started pouring. Damon stood up and offered her his hand. Over the crack of thunder, he yelled, "Come on, let's get out of here."
Though admittedly, Elena didn't really want to stay in the pouring rain, she wasn't yet ready to leave either. Both of their bottles were only a third of the way empty, and she wanted to spend more time alone with Damon. She hesitated and pulled her jacket up to cover her head. "Where are we going?"
A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky followed by a loud cracking sound. "Somewhere we can stay dry until the storm passes. I don't know about you, but I'm not really in the mood to get electrocuted."
"I'm with you," she yelled back.
With bottles in hand and coats held above their heads, they ran through the graveyard's rapidly forming puddles, dodging headstones along the way. By the time they reached the Salvatore mausoleum, they were both completely soaked. Their shoes made squishing sounds as they plodded inside. Elena pulled her coat down from her head, revealing her saturated hair. She teased, "So much for it moving away from us."
"I said it looks like it's moving away. I didn't say it was for sure. Who am I, Al Roker?" Damon removed his coat, fanning it out on top of the crypt to dry. He ran his hand over his face and through his hair, and then flicked his hand towards the ground, shaking the water off. He walked over to the wall and slid down until his butt hit the ground. His feet practically slid out from under him, causing him to hit harder than he'd expected. "God, I hate wet shoes," he groaned, before downing another drink.
In the meantime, Elena too had removed her coat and placed it on the crypt next to Damon's. She grabbed her hair in her hands and twisted it to wring out the water. Peeling off her wet top, she tossed it next to her coat. Underneath she wore a light pink camisole that clung even more to her body under the wetness. She pinched the fabric between her fingers, pulling it away from her skin uncomfortably. "I think I hate wet underwear more." Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, she caught their double meaning. She shot a look towards Damon, who of course leered at her lasciviously. Looking down at her camisole, she noticed the cold, wet material against her skin made her nipples perk up. She smirked before looking back up at Damon. "Ok, I walked into that one." She grabbed her bottle and made her way over to where he was seated. She slid down next to him with her back leaning against the wall. She pulled her boots off and teased. "The way I deal with soaked shoes is to take them off."
A laugh vibrated in his throat. "Smarty pants." Her challenging stare dared him to question her logic. Instead, he rolled his eyes and reluctantly conceded. "Fine." He pulled his knee up, squaring it over his other leg, and unzipped his boot. He dropped it to the floor and repeated the step with the other boot. Raising his eyebrows, he smirked mockingly at her when he finished. Maybe it was the alcohol, or the fact that she was no longer with his brother. Maybe it was simply her wet top, but for the first time in a while, he found himself freely flirting with her. "You know, you can deal with wet underwear the same way."
Elena blushed slightly, feeling flutters in her stomach. She'd missed this relaxed, flirtatious side of Damon. She batted her eyelashes and coyly replied, "Careful or those are coming off next." Her eyes slowly scanned down and back up his body. Seductively, she purred, "Yours, that is."
A naughty 'hmm, hmm, hmm' sound escaped his lips. God she looks sexy. "Except I don't wear underwear."
"I know," she whispered, with an alluring sparkle in her eyes. Her smile was warm and inviting, as she raised the bottle to her lips and sipped.
He studied her for a moment, thinking about how much he loved it when she smiled. Her death and subsequent transition had turned her world upside down. Hell, it had turned all of their worlds upside down. She'd become the thing she never wanted to be, but she had survived. As much as he knew the heartache she had endured, he was grateful she had turned. Even if she had never come to him with her feelings, he was happy to be a part of her life. Now that she had told him her feelings and ended things with Stefan, he wasn't sure where things were with them. He wanted to trust what she said, but he was afraid to, afraid of being manipulated. Nothing had ever worked in his favor before. It was always Stefan, and he feared that it would be again. Then there was Stefan's emotional stability. If he did give in, what would happen with Stefan? Damon cleared the roughness in his throat, trying to shift the tempo of the conversation. "So, do you really think Barbie will be able to help with Stefan?" His question was heavily laced with skepticism. He casually took another sip of his drink, trying to hide the other thoughts that had been racing through his head.
The change in conversation was a little disappointing but not really unexpected. Elena could tell he was still struggle with the situation, they both were. "Uh, I don't know, but Caroline doesn't give up easily. And he trusts her. Maybe she can get through to him. It's worth a shot."
He huffed out his agreement. "Hmph, she does have that annoyingly perky attitude. God knows my broody baby bro could use that right about now."
Elena gave him a tentative smile, but the burden of her guilt came through in her eyes. "Stefan tried to tell me how long it would take him to get his bloodlust under control again. I should have believed him. I guess I was just so desperate to bring him back."
"Well, he wouldn't have been in trouble in the first place, if he hadn't made that deal with Klaus to save me." Damon shook his head, drinking some more. Sure he'd done his best to bring Stefan back afterwards, but it hadn't needed to happen in the first place, if only Stefan had stopped with the martyr complex, and just let him die.
"I feel awful that he was dependent on me to hold him together, and I failed him."
"Elena, we can beat ourselves up about this all we want. But the truth is, in 164 years, Stefan has never learned to control his bloodlust." It wasn't your responsibility to hold him together." He saw the guilt still present in her eyes. His hand reached up instinctively to console her, caressing her cheek gently with his thumb. Bending his head down slightly to capture her eyes, he said, "Hey, he would've fallen off the wagon at some point with or without our help."
She nodded subtly, knowing what he said was true. The feel of his fingers against her cheek reminded her of how much she missed him.
Their eyes searched each others' longing for more. The distance between them began to close until their lips finally claimed one another's. They kissed slowly, soaking in the tenderness of the moment. The fingers Damon held against her cheek, slid under her hair to the nape of her neck, cupping her head. He pulled her in closer. Elena's hand rested on his neck, where she rubbed her fingers soothingly over his collar bone. Chills ran up his spine with her touch. He wanted her so much. Their lips parted for a moment, as they caught their breath, resting their foreheads against each others'.
This time Elena would wait for Damon to make the first move. She could feel his reservation to move forward. She knew he was still afraid to believe her, so she would let him decide if it was right.
His eyes lazily looked into hers as if he were hypnotized by the sight of her deep brown orbs. She was a drug he couldn't resist. There was no point in fighting against what he truly wanted. His lips tenderly captured hers again. His tongue begged for access to her mouth which she readily gave. Relishing the voluptuous feel of her full lips, Damon sucked her lower lip into his mouth. He nibbled softly, pulling her closer to him.
Elena could feel her dead heart beating hard in her chest at the sensuousness of his kisses. Her hands ran through his hair, her fingers tugging desirously at the strands. Breathless moans escaped her mouth, as their tongues danced together. She felt his fingers rake pleasurably down her neck, across her shoulder, to slide the strap of her camisole down. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes, as she got lost in the feel of his warm tongue gliding down her throat. She cradled his head against her when his lips moved lower along her breast. His teeth grazed over the taunt nipple that protruded beneath her camisole. Elena kneaded the firm muscles down his back with her finger tips until she reached the edge of his t-shirt. Her fingers wove their way underneath, feeling the warmth of his skin. She inched his shirt up and pulled it off.
Damon shifted them into a prone position with such fluidity and grace that it reminded her of a beautifully choreographed waltz. He felt her wince at the coldness of the floor. In a flash, he moved them to the crypt, settling Elena upright on top of their coats. Immediately he locked his lips to hers again. One hand held her ass, the other slid over her breast. He slid her camisole down to expose her nipple, capturing it in his mouth, and gently rolling his teeth over it.
The sensation set her on fire, causing a sudden flush of wetness to soak her panties. He guided her gently onto her back, sliding his hands over her body. Rolling her camisole up to expose her skin, he licked and sucked along her tummy. She peeled her top off to give him better access. His tongue ran along her rib cage, and she flinched at the sensation. Her breathing becoming heavier. Roughly, he pulled her hips towards him. He pressed his hardness between her legs, and undid her jeans. Her back arched slightly, as he pulled them down over her hips, taking her panties along with them. With intense lust filled eyes, Damon took in the sight of the naked beauty before him. His cock was painfully hard, but he had a strong desire to taste her first.
He teasingly ran his fingers along the insides of her thighs, feeling her wetness. Kneeling into position, he stroked his hand along her pubic hair before running his finger down her slit. The soft flesh gave way under his touch, spreading for him invitingly. The first swipe of his tongue along her throbbing nub, sent a jolt of pleasure through her body, prompting an involuntary flinch of her pelvis. He sucked on her swollen mound, wiggling his tongue along her pulsating nerves. Her breath caught in her throat with the sudden pleasurable sensation. When he released her from his grip, his tongue ran up and down along her core in long slow strokes. His thumb played at her opening. Once again, he captured her in his mouth, gently nibbling at the flesh. A moan escaped Elena's lips, as she thrashed against the crypt. Her body convulsed with her intense release. Allowing her to ride out the high, Damon continued to lick softly along her flesh, lapping up her sweet taste. He stood up when her body began to still and wiped his fingers over his mouth. Tilting his head to the side with a subtle, yet devilish smirk, he gazed down to see the look of complete satisfaction on her face.
Elena sat up, her fingers feverishly working to free him from his jeans. She laid kisses all along his chest while her hands pushed at his hips. Damon dropped his pants to the ground to help her. His engorged member flinched against his stomach in anticipation of her touch. Hastily, he pulled her face to his, engulfing her mouth with his lips. Her fingers wrapped around his hardness, massaging it slowly. They re-positioned themselves, lying back against the crypt, as their hands roamed each others' bodies. They continued to kiss passionately, grinding their bodies together. Positioning himself at her entrance, Damon nibbled along her chin before gradually sliding himself inside. Like two pieces of a puzzle, their bodies fit perfectly together. Their faces were mere inches apart, so the warmth of their panted breaths brushed against their lips. With their eyes each focused on the other's, they got lost in the drunken haze of the emotions they felt. His slow, deliberate thrusts were made deeper by Elena. She cupped his ass, pressing him harder into her. With a feather like touch, Damon's lips glided down from her chin to her ear where he placed a delicate kiss at her lobe. His movements became quicker. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling its fragrance, until he lost all control. Elena felt the warm flush of his fluid fill her. His body stilled, and he held her tight against him. For a moment, held quietly in their embrace, Damon lovingly pet Elena's hair, brushing it away from her face.
Elena's eyes searched the depth of his pale blue pools, and she whispered, "I loved you."
A gentle smile graced his lips, and his eyes welled with tears, but he choked them back. Unable to speak, he simply acknowledged her declaration with a subtle nod. He separated from her and pulled her up into a seated embrace. His fingers circled delicately along her back, and she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. When they parted, he traced her lower lip with his thumb, and then leaned in for a lingering kiss. He cupped under her ass and picked her up off of the crypt, settling her feet on the ground. He bent down and pulled his pants up.
Though her clothes were still wet, she gathered them up, and slipped her panties and shirt back on. Damon guided her by the hand back over to the wall and sat down. He gently pulled her onto his lap. Her legs were draped over one side of his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, as he cradled her to him. Enjoying the quiet solitude of the moment, she nestled her head in the crook of his neck, and listened to the pattering of the rain against the mausoleum.
A while later, Elena lifted her head up groggily and looked at Damon, who looked as though he had just awoken too. Between the alcohol and their love making, they were both spent and had dozed off to the sound of the rain. Sleepily, she said, "We must have fallen asleep."
Teasing her with a devilish grin, he replied, "I can't imagine why." Their smiles broadened at each other, and Elena pulled his face to hers for a tender kiss. Even though Elena was hardly heavy, he played with her anyway. "Hmmm, I think my legs have gone numb. Either that or someone snuck in while we were sleeping and cut them off." Believing he was serious, Elena shifted in his lap to get up, but Damon tightened his grip in protest. "I'm kidding. You're fine. But we probably should get going. Sounds like the rain has stopped."
Elena whimpered her disapproval, grabbing his neck tighter and nuzzling her head back under his chin. "Mmm, I want to stay. Just a little longer." She shifted her head slightly, so her eyes could look up at him pleadingly.
He gave her a quick, gentle smile. The truth was he didn't want to leave her either, but he knew he had to get home to keep an eye on Stefan. Stroking her hair, he rocked her soothingly, before placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Sure." It killed him to have to say it, but he had to for all of their sakes. Carefully, he said, "You know we can't tell anyone about us, right? Not right now with Stefan so close to the edge." He looked down at her face, still cupping the back of her hair, awaiting her response.
She blinked her eyes in solemn acceptance and whispered, "I know. It doesn't matter as long as I have you." She snuggled her face back into his neck, inhaling his cologne, and closed her eyes again.
He kissed her forehead, and then rested his cheek on top of her head. Combing her hair with his fingers, he said, "You'll always have me." There was still so much to be worked out between them that he couldn't allow himself to say the words he wanted to. That time would come later, when he felt more secure that this was all real. For now, they would take one day at a time.