Damon rushed into the large Salvatore mansion. He saw Elena's car outside in the driveway, so he knew he'd find her there. He threw his bags down in the foyer as soon as he walked in. He glanced into the grand living room first, but it was as neat as the day he had left. It hadn't seemed as if anything was touched. He checked the dining room and it was in the same state as the living room.
Once he saw that the whole bottom floor was cleared, he knew she'd definitely be upstairs. He didn't bother checking his room, which would have been wishful thinking. He and Elena didn't quite leave off on good terms. So surprising him in his room spread out on his bed with a sexy nightgown would totally be out of the question. He missed those days though, having the luscious Elena in his company.
On his really good days when he deserved it, she would wear red. It was his favorite color. In fact, it would be red and laced. He loved lace as well. She would wear her hair in perfect curls. The way her hair fell down her back, long bold brown curls touching her nice bare back drove him crazy.
She always smelled amazing. She would apply some of the most delectable scents. The sweet smell of pomegranate was her typical. She'd smell so good his mouth would water. All of these thoughts mixed with the presence of Elena somewhere in his house was beginning to turn him on.
He rushed back out to the hallway to check another room. He happen to spot a shirtless Stefan heading down the stairs. "Stefan", he called to grab his brother's attention.
"Whoa Damon, you're back! I didn't know when to expect your return. You just disappeared", Stefan trotted back up the stairs to greet him.
"Yea, it's a long story. Have you seen Elena"? Damon was willing to cut their reunion short.
"Yeah, she's here. I think she's in the shower".
"Great", Damon moved passed his brother with nothing more to say.
Damon walked up to the bathroom door, but he didn't go in immediately. He listened first to hear the shower running. In a matter of a few seconds the water was shut off and he joyfully walked into the bathroom to see the completely naked Elena step out through the shower door.
"Damon", she quickly wrapped a towel around herself. "What are you doing? Where the hell have you been"? She hadn't realized at what circumstances she would end up seeing Damon again. She didn't have to wonder anymore. Without a response he grabbed Elena by the hand and dragged her to his room.
"Damon, what's going on"? She smiled nervously. She didn't have the time to dry off thoroughly. Her hair was pinned up, because she didn't want to have to walk around with soaked hair for the time being. Her bangs draped down her forehead and she had to keep pushing them back. She clinched her towel at the top to keep herself covered.
"I have something for you". He reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace. "Merry Christmas", he held it right in front of her face. "Well, I know it's a few days late but I would have gotten it hear on time if I was able to". The necklace dangled from his fingertips, it was nice and shimmery. It was solid gold and connected to it was a heart shaped locket of the same quality.
Elena placed her hand on her chest in genuine surprise. "Damon, that can't be… is it? Is it really my necklace"?
"Yep", Damon gloated.
"The one that my father gave me"?
"Yep", he said proudly once more.
Elena reached out to touch it. She wrapped her fingers around the heart-shaped locket and she pulled it from Damon's hand.
"The hook where you secure it together is broke, but we could always get that fixed", he stated.
"Where did you find it? This was taken from me".
"I had to go to Maine to get it".
"You went to Maine Damon"? That was nowhere near any guess that she could have made.
"Yea, I had Bonnie do a locator spell and we went to retrieve it".
"Wait, what? That's where Bonnie was this whole time? Elena was skeptical.
"You both vanished, but we never considered that the two of you would be together".
Damon chuckled, "Well yea, she knew how much it meant to you too. She was hesitant to help me at first, but she came around. Of course it was meant to be a surprise, so we didn't tell anyone. We also didn't plan on getting snowed in for two weeks though".
"So that's why you've been gone this long", it was all starting to make sense to her.
"Right", he nodded.
"Hmm. My Bonnie? The leader of the lynch Damon mob"? Elena analyzed the idea of it all in her head. Damon could see that her gears were spinning. He sat on the side of his bed and pulled her down with them. They sat side by side.
"Wow Damon, this is such a surprise. I'm so happy you were able to get it back. Who had it"?
"That's the crazy thing about it. So, we went to Maine because that's where Bonnie was able to detect where your necklace was…"
Damon began to think back to the moment he and Bonnie arrived in Maine. It was freezing. He took a few misguided turns toward the end of the route, which he and Bonnie argued over for a solid hour. Once they got back on track they were led to the city of Aroostook, which was in northern Maine. The house that they were directed to sat on the end of the street in the neighborhood.
All of the houses looked unrecognizable because they were covered in snow. There was white everywhere. Poor Bonnie was distinctly shivering in her little snow boots, thick jacket, winter cap, gloves, and scarf. She was so offended every time Damon told her to suck it up. When they walked up to the house Damon wasted no time to approach.
There was a van in the drive way and a single light on in the living room. Bonnie didn't walk up to the doorstep until someone answered Damon's ring of the bell. A man answered the door. He was middle aged and lived alone. Damon went to work as soon as the man opened.
He tried to compel the man but it wasn't working. His mind was blocked. Damon had initially commanded the man to welcome him in the home on account of all vampires being unable to go into someone's home without being invited in, but the man denied him. He was able to turn down Damon's request. He also was able to avoid Damon's questioning.
Damon knew immediately what the cause was. Another vampire had compelled him already, and he was instructed to reject anything that was said to him upon opening the door.
"So, did you ever get in the house or figure out who it was", Elena inquired.
"Well of course. Bonnie was able to go in there. Things got a little rough while I waited outside, but the witch prevailed. Apparently there was a female vampire harbored in there.
"Right. I believe it was a girl. She snatched my necklace off. When Caroline and I went holiday shopping".
Damon nodded.
"I remember she had bold red hair, but she did it so quick I couldn't tell where she had run off too. Maine though"?
Damon nodded once more.
"Elena, you're a vampire now. You should have quicker reflexes by now, I mean c'mon".
"Damon, why would I expect that someone would just randomly come and snatch my necklace right off of me", Elena got defensive.
"I'm just saying, it's been over a year now newbie". He egged her on further.
"Anyway, who was she"? Elena moved on with the topic.
"Her name was McKenzie. Ring any bells", he asked.
Elena shook her head. "No", she said clueless.
"Oh well. At first she claimed that she was a drifter and that she went traveling around stealing people's things and selling them for money. However, that didn't sit right with me".
"What do you mean", Elena asked.
"Since a vampire and a witch came practically knocking that door down to retrieve your necklace, you'd think she would have given it back freely".
"Right…" Elena was trying to see where he was going with this.
"Instead she didn't. She tried to fight us for it. She risked her life just to be able to hold onto this necklace. Surely it had to be much more worth to it, at least to her".
"So, you killed her", Elena suspected.
"Well, as much as I wanted to I actually didn't. I told you Elena, I want to turn over a new leaf, change for you. Her death wasn't necessary. Plus, I had Bonnie there to talk me down, which is mainly why little McKenzie is still alive". He gave off a childish grin.
Elena looked as if she was pleased with his decision.
"But we did have to torture her for answers", he mentioned.
"Of course you did", Elena rolled her head. "Did you at least find anything out", she asked.
"Not much. Just that someone had put her up to it and she was suppose to deliver the necklace to them".
"What? Why? Who"? The questions kept coming fast.
"She wouldn't say. We couldn't get it out of her, even when I suggested cutting her tongue out. I don't know what hold this person has over her, but it's big".
"Damon, should I be worried"? She began to look the part.
"You don't need to worry baby doll. That necklace belongs to you. Anyone else thinking otherwise will have one hell of a tough time".
Damon made a point. The friends Elena had were just as vicious then anyone else could threaten to be, between all of the bloodsuckers she roamed with and the witch that she had in her back pocket as a secret weapon. Not to mention the love they all had for each other. They had always proved to be unstoppable.
Damon closed the necklace into Elena's hand, "We'll go out to get it fixed soon and put it around that pretty neck of yours. Ok"?
Elena smiled, "Ok". The way she sounded was almost the voice of innocence.
As they remained side-by-side Damon reached over to caress Elena's cheek. Then without acknowledgment Stefan poked his head in through the doorway. He looked at Damon and Elena for a moment before speaking, and they looked at him. Damon gave him a funny look, his eyebrows started going wacky. "Uh… Stefan. Can we help you"?
Stefan broke his gaze. "Oh, I'm just seeing if y'all are coming down for dinner. I just whipped something up, it's done".
"Umm… Ok", Damon had sounded condescending.
'We'll be down Stefan", Elena had made up for Damon's attitude.
Once Stefan walked off and the moment of interruption was over, Damon was back at it. He ran the curve of his index finger down to Elena's jaw. He hooked around it and tried to pull her close for a kiss.
"No Damon", she kindly pushed his hand down.
"No"? Damon surely didn't prepare for rejection. "Elena c'mon, it's been too long. I missed you. I miss your kisses".
"Damon we're broken up. We've been broken up".
"Yea, and that's all by your choice".
"And you know why", she pointed to him.
"And I'm trying to change babe. You see that right"?
"Yea, but you tried that once before. Then you killed Liam, they guy I was seeing".
Damon smacked himself with a face palm. "Elena, that wasn't going anywhere… you knew that. You were using him as a distraction or probably doing it to teach me a lesson".
Elena rose from the bed. She began to speak down to Damon and her voice was starting to get louder. "Regardless of what you thought my reasoning was Damon, you had no right to cause that car crash. A mother had to bury her son and now I have to somehow feel like I was responsible".
Damon was nearly ready to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness, a thousand apologies if he had to. He genuinely felt tremendous regret for scaring Liam out on the road that night. As he began to open his mouth to make his last case Elena threw her finger up to hush him.
"Damon, I'm going to leave out of here and go get dressed. Then I'm going to head downstairs for dinner. Either join us or don't, but please don't put me through this.
She then immediately turned and walked away. Damon was pissed with frustration.
He put a pillow over his face and hollered a hard suffocated yell. At this point, he didn't know what he was going to do with himself. He thought he had pulled off the ultimate comeback, however all of his success had just crashed and burned.