Going Once-Twice-Sold! Part 2
A fic by Jen
Okay guys, first off, I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to leave a review. Hearing a reader's thoughts and ideas really inspires the author to keep going when they know people like/and or appreciate what they do. Not to mention, my musie is a fickle little thing who needs constant adoration! ;) lol!
Anyhow, thank you again…I will try and get some personal pm's out, but for now on with the show.
Jen
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Previously: A short while before the auction: Gilbert Residence
Jeremy poked his head in the kitchen to find Elena still hunched over the book he'd given her. "Hey," he said, startling her.
Elena gasped and nearly leaped from her chair. She was a little stunned at how easily her brother was able to sneak up on her nowadays. Guess it was those new 'Hunter' reflexes of his. "Hey," she said in return, rubbing a hand over her eyes. She'd been reading for so long—she was more than a little tired.
Jeremy pointed to the clock. "Unless you're going in that outfit, you better start getting ready. The party starts at 7:00 and the auction starts at 7:30."
Elena leaped from her stool. "Oh no!" she gasped, when she noticed how late it was. She had barely a half an hour to get ready!
Jeremy glanced at the book. "Did it help? Did you learn anything new?"
All of her weariness seemed to melt away as the 'need to hurry' adrenaline rush kicked in. Elena buzzed up to Jeremy and hugged him fiercely. "Yes. Thank you for giving me this! I love you, Jer..." she whispered against his ear, before kissing him soundly on the cheek and blurring up the stairs to her bedroom to get ready for the Christmas party..
Jeremy watched her go, smiling. He headed over to the book and glanced at the page she had been reading. He sat down and began to read…
The most fundamental of all bonds between Vampires are the Sire Bond and the Blood Bond.
Sire Bond~ The Sire Bond is a link that occurs between sire and changeling when the human sired by a Vampire has feelings or a connection with the Vampire that sired them. It does not require a mutual blood exchange to take effect. It simply needs the changeling to have the blood of the Vampire that sired it. This bond is the most fundamental of all bonds between Vampires, because it is the blood link between a Sire and its Childe. However, in order to develop a Sire Bond, the bonded must have (human) feelings of love for the Sire before being changed. A Sire Bond is not always sensual or sexual in nature, but it is deep, and if the changeling was in love with the Sire before their transition, it can become even deeper and more sexual in nature. However, a Sire Bond does not necessarily create feelings of sexual desire or force a newborn Vampire to love its Sire. It is merely a physical manifestation to obey one's Sire, no matter what. A Sire Bond can only be broken if a Sire (by word or command) releases their Childe or by creating a Blood Bond, thus making the Chide a Mate rather than childe.
The only bond that is relatively equivalent to a Sire Bond is a Blood Bond.
Blood Bond~ The Blood Bond occurs when blood is exchanged mutually and simultaneously. It is usually done to achieve a spiritual and sexual connection. A Blood Bond is the deepest bond two vampires can experience, because of the emotional connection a Blood Bond entails. A Blood Bond between a Sire and their changeling will alter the Sire Bond by mating the participants, and therefore, ending the Sire/Childe Bond. A Blood Bond is almost always performed between a married or committed couple, because it is nearly unbreakable. Unlike a Sire Bond which can be broken if the Sire releases the Changeling; a Blood Bond between two vampires is a little more complicated. In order to secure a Blood Bond, both vampires must drink of each other (at the same time) on three separate occasions and there must be both a physical and emotional commitment involved in order to properly secure a Blood Bond. A Vampire cannot force their blood on a human or a changeling three times and achieve a Blood Bond. There must be a deep connection when making a Blood Bond. Unlike a Sire Bond, a Blood Bond cannot happen by chance, and it is not something to be entered into lightly; once a Blood Bond has been consummated, it is usually takes the death of the other bonded to break it.
Jeremy quickly re-read that last paragraph. Was Elena…? No! She couldn't be thinking of tying herself to Damon even further, could she?! The Hunter in him was revolted at blood sharing and bonding, but the part of him that loved his sister and wanted her to be happy above all else understood. Elena was trying to find her own way to deal with the Sire Bond and how Damon felt about it. If she wasn't Sired to him, but mated instead, Jeremy knew Damon would no longer have any doubts about Elena's love for him. He sat there for some time debating on whether to confront her or not when heard her coming down the stairs.
She paused in the entryway of the kitchen. "Okay, so how do I look?"
Jeremy perused her outfit and nodded his approval. The red dress, white boots and jingle-bell earrings made her look very festive. He pointed to the Santa hat perched on her head. "The hat is a nice touch," he teased.
Elena offered him a self-conscious smile. "Is it too much?" she asked, reaching for it, as if to take it off.
"Nah," he assured her. He thought about asking her about blood bonding, but she looked so happy. For the first time in weeks, Elena was glowing and he didn't want to be the one to extinguish that flame. "Elena, you look great. Leave the hat. It looks…cute."
"Thanks Jer," she said and Elena's beaming smile told him he'd made the right choice. She pulled on a white double breasted pea-coat, grabbed her white clutch, tucked a sprig of mistletoe inside and picked up her car keys. "Okay, I'm ready. I'll see you there, right?"
He nodded. Actually Jeremy wouldn't miss this year's Christmas party for the world. It was going to be very interesting to see the fallout when Elena decided to bid on Damon and he sure as hell wanted to see Damon's face if she announced that she wanted to eradicate his Sire Bond with her by Blood Bonding with him! He could only imagine Damon's utter shock and confusion. Yep—no way was Jeremy missing that!
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Presently: The Grille:
Elena was a little hurt Damon had snubbed her, but she supposed she should have expected it. She'd been yanking him this way and that way for so long, and now that she'd finally realized what or who she wanted, he didn't believe it was real. And it was all because of that stupid Sire Bond. Well, she had a way to fix that and prove to Damon that he was the one. She just hoped he gave her a chance. She glanced back over at Rebekah—that bitch had better not even think of bidding on Damon! Elena would never forget what she did to him the last time she had him in her clutches. No way was she letting Rebekah win tonight!
Caroline hurried over and sat next to her. "Elena, I'm sorry."
"Me too, Care. That message I sent was harsh, but I was so angry at you. You keep denying what I'm saying as if I don't know my own heart."
"But Elena, the Sire—"
"I swear Caroline, if you tell me just one-more-time that it's the Sire Bond is making me feel the way I do I will never speak to you again!" she hissed.
Caroline's mouth snapped shut and she backed down. "Okay, no more Sire Bond talk. No more Damon bashing. I get it."
"I hope so, Caroline I really do, because I don't want to fight with you. I love you, but if you love me, you'll accept my choice and not judge. If you can't do that…then I can't keep listening to it."
Caroline hesitated a moment, but as if realizing she was driving her friend away, she finally capitulated with a sigh of defeat. "Deal, but just promise me I won't have to wear some uber-tacky 'Team Damon' shirt or anything—because that just might make me a little crazy!"
Elena chuckled huskily. "I think I can spare you joining his cheerleading squad."
The girls gave each other a brief hug, happy to have avoided what could have been a serious fight.
"So, why are you sitting here?" Caroline asked when they broke apart. "Come join the party."
Elena glanced to the stage and Caroline's gaze followed. She saw Damon standing in the line of bachelors. "Oh my God! You're going to bid on him?!"
Elena felt her stomach drop when Damon's gaze shot right to them and her belly cartwheeled out of control with sudden nervousness. "Care, maybe you can say that a little louder," she whispered harshly, "I don't think the guy standing by the bar heard you!"
"Sorry," Caroline apologized, "but are you sure about—?" Elena started to tense up and Caroline retreated. "I just said no judging." She held her hands out in supplication. "Sorry—not judging. If you want to bid on Damon then—" In that moment, Caroline suddenly noticed Rebekah and her topic flipped as quickly as a kid with ADHD. "What the hell is she doing here?" she snarled.
"I think she's here for Damon." Elena's grip on the paddle tightened so hard, the wood creaked. "I can't believe she has the nerve to actually bid on him. You remember what she did to him the last time she had him over for a chit-chat, don't you?"
Caroline nodded. She understood Elena's concern, but she wasn't sure she blamed Bex for that one. Maybe trying to bleed Damon dry was a little extreme, but Caroline knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of Damon's love 'em and leave 'em shtick. It could make a girl nutty!
At that time Carol Lockwood took the microphone and announced it was time to start the auction. Caroline glanced back at Rebekah; the Original gave the other blonde a superior smirk and patted her bidding paddle with one expensively manicured hand. It lit a fire under Caroline and in that instant she made the decision to back her friend. "Hold on, I'll be right back," she whispered to Elena and started to rise.
"Where are you going?" Elena asked, grabbing Caroline's arm and keeping her in her chair. Having Caroline next to her was helping with her nervousness. She didn't want her to leave. "The auction is starting. Don't go."
"To get reinforcements…I'll be right back." Caroline squeezed Elena's hand in reassurance. "I may not agree with your decision, but you're right. You're my friend and I want you to be happy. If having Damon will make you happy, then as your best friend, it's my job to make sure we purchase you the…" Caroline looked like she was choking down a pill or some bad medicine, "oh-so-charming company of one Damon Salvatore tonight."
Elena ignored the sarcasm in Caroline's words, and instead allowed herself to be relieved that Caroline was finally being Caroline again, instead of the even judgier version of Bonnie she had been for the last month or so. "Thank you," she told her friend sincerely.
"Of course…what are friends for, right?" Her eyes drifted to Rebekah and she shot the Original an all-too-fake smile. "Plus, we sure as hell don't want her to get her claws into him again."
Caroline had no sooner exited, than Stefan appeared at her side. "Hey, how are you?"
Elena swallowed back the unladylike curse that wanted to pop right out of her mouth. Instead, she smiled demurely. "I'm fine, Stefan. Really." What she really wanted was for him to be gone before they had to have the awkward 'are you bidding on Damon?' conversation.
But his next words made it clear that she would have no such luck avoiding the topic. "So, what are you doing up at the auction stage?"
Elena floundered for a moment, and finally Stefan put it together. "Oh," he said quietly, "you're here for Damon."
"Stefan…" Elena said, feeling terrible as she watched him struggle to keep his pain at bay. She reached for his hand, but he yanked it away from her grasp.
"Don't Elena!" he hissed. "Don't try and comfort me while you're ripping my heart out!"
Elena looked away, unable to watch him suffer, yet equally unable to offer him what he wanted. "I'm sorry," was all she could say, and she meant it. She had never intended to hurt Stefan, but she couldn't help the way she felt anymore and she was tired of fighting it.
"So am I," he muttered darkly, before getting up and leaving without a backward glance.
After Stefan left, Elena turned back to the stage only to find her gaze caught and held by Damon's predatory stare. He was looking directly at her, head tilted to the side as if trying to figure out what she was up to. She smiled at him, but he looked away again. Elena sighed. He was mad at her, that much was obvious, but if all went according to plan he'd have to see that her feelings for him were real—that she wasn't just yanking his chain again and hopefully, they could get past this and start over.
With Damon's attention elsewhere, Elena allowed her gaze to linger on him for a moment. He looked incredible in all black. His silky dark hair had that 'just-got-out-of-bed' look that made her think of hot, rough sex, and now that she intimately knew the delicious body that lie underneath that suit, it only made it worse. Elena squirmed in her seat; memories of Damon's mouth on her body, licking her, sucking her, biting her… assailed her, causing desire to pool between her legs. Elena swallowed hard. She wanted to experience his brand of passion again, so badly. It was killing her. She felt on fire. She uncrossed and re-crossed her legs, but the burning heat between her thighs refused to be extinguished. She felt a trickle of sweat glide down her temple and finally resorted to using her paddle to fan her face as her body continued to burn hot with arousal.
As if on cue, Damon turned her way again and it was as if he knew the state she was in, like he could see the sweat at her temple or sense the wetness between her thighs, because he didn't look away this time. He stared at her intently and it took everything Elena had not to climb up on that stage when his nostrils flared and his normally icy blue eyes darkened to near black and in that instant, it was obvious he did indeed realize how aroused she was and was feeling it too.
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Up on stage, Damon was barely hanging on to his control. She was brazenly eye fucking him, stripping him with her eyes and it was making him hard and uncomfortable. When she starting squirming in her seat and fanning herself, it was like a mule had kicked him in the gut, his lust for her burned so fast and hot. Some of his more primal instincts to take and conquer were struggling to be free and—and he put a break on his thoughts right there. It wouldn't do to suddenly leap off stage, toss Elena over his shoulder and rush them both back to the boardinghouse where he could fuck her on or against every surface of the damned house!
Liz would not be happy with him for making such a scene at the Charity Auction. To add to his consternation, Carol Lockwood began announcing the bachelors.
Great! Now, I get to parade myself in front of the women of Mystic Falls with a fucking hard-on! At least I have nothing to be ashamed of—eat your hearts out ladies and yes, that's all me. Just ask the brunette in the front row mentally fucking with me—she can tell you!
He finally forced himself to break eye contact with Elena. If he didn't look, maybe he could get his body under control. Damn her for being able to twist him into knots so complex, he didn't think he'd ever fully unravel!
Mayor Lockwood called his name just as Damon turned his back to the crowd and quickly adjusted his trousers. He made a show of turning back to face the women, flashing his best come-hither smirk as he walked across the stage towards Carol and her ever-trusty microphone.
He'd done this last year—he was familiar with the routine.
She asked him the same rather mundane questions about his astrological sign and personal interests. Damon gave the patented responses, all the while playing his audience.
"So…what makes you a catch, Damon?" Carol asked.
Damon smirked. The first time they'd done this, Carol hadn't a clue he was a vampire. Now she knew, but here she was—willing to sell him off despite what he was. He smirked. "Have you seen me?" he replied glibly and the crowd laughed and howled their approval.
Damon was ready to exit stage left, but Carol wasn't done. "So, Damon…" she said, stopping him in his tracks, "Tell us something about yourself that we don't already know."
So, Carol wanted to make him squirm, did she? Well, she has never seen him in action. Damon could roll with any punch she threw at him.
"Well Carol," he said, taking the microphone right out of her hand. He turned to the audience. "Some of you might know this…" His eyes met Elena's. "I love hot, wet kisses that seem to last a lifetime. I want a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. That is a real turn on." Some of the women in the audience started whistling and Damon paused, waiting for the audience to quiet down. He lowered his voice to a dirty whisper. "But my biggest secret is…" He flipped his head back to Mayor Lockwood. "Carol you are asking me what my biggest secret is right?" Carol didn't have a chance to reply, several women in the audience answered a resounding 'yes!' for her.
Damon's smile could only be called filthy. "Okay, my dirtiest secret is I like to bite…"
There was a collective gasp in the audience.
"Not hard…" Damon added, having a hard time to not laugh out loud as the vampires and humans (who knew what he was) stared at him, slack jawed at his audacity, but women in the audience, (the ones who didn't know what he was) they were all practically salivating at the bit of kink in his confession.
Damon waited as the response to his comment died down, before he carried on. "But, I promise to never take more than a nibble…" he added mischievously. The blatant sex appeal oozing off him had most of the women in the audience checking their wallets to see how much cash they had on hand!
Carol Lockwood looked like she was about to give birth to a baby cow, the women in the audience started wolf whistling and giving him cat calls and Elena looked like she was about to run up on stage, toss him to the ground, and have her way with him or rip into the other women in the audience sexing him up with their eyes. Damon couldn't help it. He had to grin. Yes, he was still the eternal stud and he had his audience eating out of the palm of his hand. His work here was done, and the cherry on top, was seeing Elena so out of control. It made him feel just a little bit better to know that he could work her up like that, too—let her get a taste of her own medicine for once!
In the audience; Elena was clenching her fists so tightly, her nails were digging into her skin. Her skin felt flushed and tingly. Her belly was clenching almost painfully with lust and she was pretty damned sure Damon had done that last bit especially for her; on purpose, to set her even more on fire!
When the bidding started, Elena had to suffer through far too many (in her opinion) snore-worthy bachelors, before his name was finally called. She was on pins and needles the entire time, because (of course) Damon happened to be last—figures!
"Did I miss it?" Jeremy asked, suddenly dropping into the seat next to her just as Damon's name was called.
"Jeremy!" Elena put a hand over her silent heart, more out of habit than anything. "You scared the life out of me!"
Her brother flashed a smirk that made her think maybe he was spending too much time with Damon. "Elena, the life was scared out of you a while ago."
"Ha-ha," she said, but she couldn't help but grin. If he could joke about her vampirism, maybe there was hope for them yet.
"So, all of these women are bidding for Damon?" Jeremy commented, glancing around at the still packed audience.
"Yeah," Elena grumbled, not all surprised that she had several fervid competitors for Damon's company tonight.
Jeremy pointed out Old lady Chester. "Watch out for her," he said, "we were in her shop the other day and she gave him like six free cinnamon buns and asked him if he was single."
Elena rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I know. She's a menace and needs to be stopped!"
"Huh?" Jeremy said, "I don't think asking him if he's single exactly makes her a menace, Elena."
Elena refused to tell her younger brother how she overheard the woman mention a certain part of Damon's anatomy she'd love to glaze up and lick clean—it had been too disturbing of an image the first time around. "Let's just say she's horrible and there's no way she's getting within a hundred yards of him and leave it at that," she muttered.
Just then Mayor Lockwood asked for the bidding to start and Elena instantly shushed anything else Jeremy was about to say.
Rebekah started the bidding at $250.00. Elena upped it to $300.00. Mrs. Chester chimed in with $350.00 A little blonde who was making the most annoying moon eyes at Damon raised the bid again and so it started…several women made bids on him, but by the time Rebekah declared her offer of $2,500.00, all but Elena, Rebekah, the little blonde in the front row and the God-awful Old Lady Chester with her dirty mind had dropped out. Elena felt the sweat trickle between her breasts. She fanned herself furiously as she mentally calculated how she could come up with the money to outbid Rebekah and Mrs. Chester the Molester, who upped the ante to three thousand dollars! The little blonde dropped out at that point and just when Elena had decided she'd just have to dip into the trust her parents had set aside for her, Caroline maneuvered past Jeremy to plop down on Elena's other side.
"Here," she said handing Elena a wad of hundred dollar bills. "It's over $5,000.00. Outbid that Original bitch and that creepy old lady from the bakery!"
Jeremy's eyes widened. "What did you do, Caroline—rob a bank?!"
Rebekah upped her bid to $3,500 dollars, but Elena was staring dumbfounded at the money in her hand.
"Where did you get this?" she asked her friend, stunned.
"I'll explain later…"
Just then Carol started announcing the 'Once-Twice…"
Elena leaped to her feet. "Five thousand dollars!" she called out, far more loudly than she had planned.
You could almost hear a pin drop and Elena was glad she couldn't blush anymore because she'd have been beet red as every eye in the place turned to stare at her. Jeremy started chuckling softly when Damon's jaw had literally dropped and Elena shot her brother a glare for laughing and quickly sat back down, feeling utterly embarrassed at making such a scene!
Mrs. Chester finally set her paddle down with one last longing look in Damon's direction, but Rebekah's smirk told Elena she wasn't done yet. She raised her paddle. "Six Thousand," she said, shooting Elena a look that clearly dared the younger vampire to top that.
"Seven," Elena retorted, all in now. There was no way she was letting the Original Barbie win.
"Eight thousand," Rebekah said, confident Elena would back down.
Elena was just as sure Rebekah didn't know her as well as she thought she did and proved it when she said, "Nine thousand!"
Elena happened to catch Damon's eye and flushed to see he wasn't staring at her in shock anymore. No, he was smirking—laughing even. Elena didn't care. She was determined Rebekah would not get her paws on him tonight or any other night—even if he did want to act like an ass while she was trying to save his!
Rebekah was about to out-bid her again, when Elijah swooped in and stopped her from raising her paddle. He whispered something in her ear, and Rebekah furiously whispered a reply, but the stern look on Elijah's face spoke volumes. It was obvious, he was tired of the spectacle his sister was making of herself and was putting a stop to it.
Rebekah pouted, but when she turned to glance Elena's way, she looked murderous and if looks could kill, Elena would be dust in the wind! And yet, the blonde Original still got up, tossed her paddled on her seat and flounced off in a huff. Elena had won.
Elijah dipped his head politely at Elena and just as quickly as he had appeared, he faded back into the crowd surrounding the auction.
Mayor Lockwood waited for another offer, before declaring Elena the winner for a whopping total of $9,000.00. Elena squirmed in her seat again as Carol Lockwood announced that Elena's bid was a Mystic Falls all-time record. Not only a record, but Elena's bid had (single-handedly) made Damon's auction more profitable to the Mystic Falls Pediatric Cancer Unit, than each of the other bachelors combined.
Once it was over, Elena rose from her seat, embarrassed, yet euphoric over her win.
Jeremy disguised his laughter with a cough. "Well, I hope you've been saving your pennies—you're not planning on selling the house to buy Damon, are you?" he teased.
Elena stuck her tongue out at him, much like she used to when they were children. "Very funny," she said and headed over to the stage to claim her date.
Caroline grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Elena—nine thousand dollars?!" she screeched like a mad hyena on crack. "Have you lost your mind?! I only gave you five. Where are you going to come up with the rest of the money?"
The words had barely left Caroline's mouth when Klaus appeared at her shoulder. His smirk and the casual way he settled his hands on Caroline's shoulders, made Elena feel nauseous. "Nasty bit of a bidding war you got into, Elena." He glanced back over his shoulder at his sister who was in a heated argument with Elijah. "Ahh Rebekah, she never does know when to stop when she wants something and it appears she does seem to have a bit of a thing for your Damon." He glanced to Caroline. "I take it the five thousand I gave you is no longer going to suffice and now you will need more."
Elena's eyes widened and Caroline looked like she wanted to drop through the floor. "You got the money from him?!"
Klaus made a tsking sound. "Well, if you no longer have need of my help, say so." He shrugged. "I suppose we could always let Rebekah take him home, but I must warn you…she has a terrible habit of breaking her playthings."
Elena squared her shoulders. She would rather drain her bank account dry than accept Klaus' money. She handed him the wad of hundreds back. "Thank you for the offer, but I can cover my own debts."
"Elena!" Caroline cried, "You can't afford this!"
Elena shrugged. "I'll manage," she said tightly.
Elena realized Caroline had only been trying to help, but she was more than a little disturbed at how easily the blonde was letting Klaus into their inner circle and relying on him to bail them out. Elena refused to be in his debt. Klaus would be the type to lord it over her and Elena was finally free of his threat, she wasn't about to hand him another form of power over her again. She did find it bizarre though, how Caroline could seemingly forgive Klaus, who had actually killed Elena once upon a time, but Elena was supposed to hate Damon for eternity for breaking Caroline's heart and using her for a snack bag! Yeah, what Damon had done had been bad, but hello—he hadn't actually killed Caroline!
Elena was about to say as much, when she spotted Damon leaving the stage. With the possibility he was about to make a break for it, Elena quickly decided now wasn't the time to call her friend out on her hypocrisy. "Excuse me," she said instead, "but I have a bachelor to claim." And without another word she made her way over to the stage and Damon—her knees were knocking a bit, because he didn't exactly look inviting when he noticed her heading his way.
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He wasn't happy and didn't even say hello before unleashing his frustration on her with both barrels. "Blowing nine thousand dollars just to get me to talk to you is probably one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen you do!" he snapped, rolling his beautiful baby blues. "And I've seen you do some pretty stupid things, Elena! What the hell were you thinking?"
Elena reacted as if he'd slapped her, tears sprang to her eyes and she looked down for a moment, but then her own stubborn nature rose up and her chin lifted. "I thought it was money well spent if it kept you from being chained to Rebekah's ceiling for the night—or worse—to her bed!" she spat back, chest heaving with the effort not to cry. "You're welcome, by the way!"
He took hold of her arm and dragged her off to the side of the stage. "What kind of game are you playing?"
"I'm not. I was trying to prove a point. I guess it failed."
She looked so earnest. Was she really trying to prove to him her feelings were real? Damon was suddenly unsure of her motives and he didn't like being unsure of anything—especially Elena. As usual, when he felt flustered, his natural sarcasm came to the fore. "Nice hat," he said, smirking. "Did you put some quarters in the meter outside for the reindeers or are they parked on the roof?"
Elena immediately reached up and tugged the hat off, feeling silly all of a sudden. "Why are you being such an ass?!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said in a mock whisper, "is this the part where I'm supposed to be eternally grateful?" He shook his head, "See, I'm always confused on what my role is—one minute I'm the villain in this little teen drama, and the next, I feel too much and my feelings are a problem. Maybe you should explain my role to me, Elena, that way I won't be so damned confused all the time!"
Elena wanted to smack him. God! He drove her crazy! "That was a long time ago, Damon! I've been trying to show you how I feel for weeks. You're the one pushing me away this time. My feelings are obviously the problem this time, so don't act as if I haven't been trying. I have!"
Damon's jaw hardened. "Yeah, you've been trying after the oh-so-convenient Sire Bond kicked in, but before that—just a couple of weeks ago, as a matter of fact, you were telling Stefan that making the choice to go back to him was the best decision ever!" Damon's eyes blazed, "Even though that decision killed you! Remember that?!"
Elena couldn't refute his words. She had said that to Stefan. She wasn't sure if she'd said it to ease Stefan's guilt or her own, but she couldn't dispute the fact that she had indeed said the words, and now she couldn't take them back, no matter how badly she wished she could. "I remember," she confessed, "but I also remember being terrified of you and what you made me feel, too. You consume me, Damon! When I'm with you…it's like you take all my focus. I'm on a never ending roller coaster ride of emotion and I just felt overwhelmed, so I chose the safest option."
He shrugged sadly. "See, to my ears, the way I make you feel sounds like a bad thing, Elena." He ran a hand over his face. He looked tired and weary all of a sudden. "Look, I'll get you the money to pay for this little fiasco tonight. It was ridiculous and foolish, but you shouldn't have to break your open your piggy bank just for me. Thank you for getting me clear of Old Lady Chester's mitts and out of and the Original Barbie's clutches—that alone is worth the cash—but, let's just end this right now, okay? You think you have feelings for me because of the bond, if it wasn't for that, you'd be safe and snug in the arms of your epic love Stefan, and I think we both know it."
Elena shook her head. "No, that's not true. Not anymore. "
"Elena, don't make me prove it by commanding you…" he warned.
"Then release me," Elena blurted out.
"I am!" he snapped back. "I started the process as soon as I commanded you to stay away from me…and yet, here you are. You're making it harder, Elena!"
"Exactly," she said with a smirk. They both chose to ignore the double entendre he'd just let slip. "See, it's not as strong. I wanted to see you, so here I am. We can make this work. I know we can. Just give me a chance."
Damon looked torn. He wanted to, but he was tired of getting called to Elena's side, only to be smacked on the nose like a disobedient dog and sent packing. "I can't," he said, almost sadly. "Not anymore. I'm done being your consolation prize."
Elena didn't know what to say or do to make this right. She had thought he'd see how badly she wanted him if she showed up tonight and bid on him, but it had turned into a dismal and embarrassing failure.
She looked so dejected, Damon came within an inch of caving and giving in to her, but he had his pride and he couldn't let himself be walked on by this girl any longer. "I'll be leaving town for a few days. When I get back, I'm moving up to the Lake House with Jeremy for a bit to continue his training." Elena started to shake her head, but Damon plowed forward, not giving her a chance to ask him not to. "I think after a few more weeks this Sire Bond thing should have weakened enough that I can release you, without you feeling the loss or Sire rejection that can happen if a newbie Vamp is released too soon."
Elena was getting desperate. He was talking about letting her go forever and she was thinking of bonding with him forever. Why did they always have to be so many pages apart, when they both were reading the same damned book?!
"So, just hang tight a few more weeks," Damon was saying, drawing her attention back to him. "And as long as we stay away from each other—you'll be free by Valentine's Day. Think about it, you and Stef can make up, and the world will be filled with puppies and rainbows all over again."
Elena didn't want puppies and rainbows! She wanted Damon. "What about my date? I still get that, right?" He was about to refuse, she could tell, so she added, "its tradition, Damon, you have to go."
"You can't be serious?" He was incredulous she would even suggest it. If she wanted to torture him—why hadn't she just let Bex have at him? At least the Original's brand of torture only hurt physically. Elena's cut much deeper. "No," he said, self-preservation kicking in. "I'm not doing this anymore." He shook off her hand. "Turn me in to Mayor Lockwood if you want…but, unless there's some kind of auction-police that's going to swoop in here and force me to go, then I'm not going on a date with you. So, you can just forget whatever scheme you're hatching."
Elena grabbed his arm when he went to walk around her and leave her standing there. "It's a Charity Event. You have to go by the rules. I won the date with you fair and square."
"Elena, I don't think you're listening to me. I don't care. I'm not going."
Elena's nails dug into his jacket, desperation was making her hyper. "Wait! Just…just give me the one date and then if you still insist I stay away…" She swallowed hard as she debated making a promise she had no intention of keeping, but he looked so serious and so ready to walk out the door, Elena did what she had to do to make him agree. "Then I'll leave you alone. I promise. I'll stay as far away as you want. Just give me one night—one selfish little night."
Damon's eyes narrowed. She was hitting below the belt using his own line back on him, but then again, Elena always knew where to get him and make it hurt. He didn't see a way out of this without her causing a stink, so he agreed. "Fine," he sighed, "one date. But, no funny business," he added sternly.
"Define funny business," she said.
He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. No talk about how the Sire Bond doesn't matter and how you suddenly know I'm your one true love and definitely no sex, Elena."
It was like he could read her thoughts and Elena almost wilted under his stare. Instead, she crossed her fingers behind her back and solemnly promised to adhere to his 'no-funny-business' clause. She knew it was wrong, but she would have promised just about anything at that point. Damon was actually leaving her and Elena was starting to feel the panic setting in.
Damon nodded. "Good. I'll pick you up tomorrow night at 7:00. Does that work for you, milady?"
It was said with sarcasm, but Elena was joyous just the same. It didn't matter that he was going out with her under duress, she was going to get her chance—that was all that mattered. "It works perfectly." He started to leave, but she stopped him again. "Oh and Damon…"
He turned around with a sigh, but kept one eye on the door, definitely itching to leave. "What?" he asked, looking and sounding harassed.
Elena thought he looked adorable. She'd never loved him more. "I don't need you to pay for my win tonight. I can cover it."
"Elena…" he started, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand.
"My parents didn't leave me and Jeremy destitute. We have a sizeable trust and now that I'm legal I can dip into it." She felt better already. She was taking control of her own destiny for once in her life. "I won you fair and square and I intend to…" Her words trailed off as she realized how that sounded.
"Pay for my services," he supplied, giving her that devilish, Damon Salvatore smirk and wriggling his brows at her for the first time tonight.
Elena felt heat race up her spine at that innuendo and butterflies went off like fireworks in her tummy when he did his eye thingy. She hadn't realized, until then, how much she'd missed his flirting. "Maybe, I will. I do have quite the stash. How much more would it take to pay for further services…" she teased back, a little appalled at herself for saying such a thing, but hoping he'd hang around instead of leave if she showed him she could be fun and flirtatious, too.
Damon's eyes bulged for a moment, but then he laughed. "Oh Elena, don't write a check you can't cash, lover," he said. "I got moves that would have you putting your house on the block!"
Elena's knees wobbled and it seemed like lightning was racing through her veins rather than blood. "I know," she breathed, staring at his mouth.
The air became heavy and thick with the sudden sexual tension between them and Damon steered the topic back to safer ground. "Are you sure about the money? Because, I don't have a problem covering it," he told her, hoping she'd leave off the sexual banter.
Elena let him run for the hills. At least he hadn't completely shot her down. It gave her hope. "I'm sure. I'll make the arrangements with Mayor Lockwood."
Damon could see she was indeed serious and let it go. If she really wanted to spend nine thousand dollars to go out with him—well, who was he to deny her? He ignored that niggling little voice in his head that told him maybe she really did have real feelings for him; after all, she sure was going above and beyond the call of duty to prove it. A part of him wanted to listen and give in, except the last time he'd done that and allowed that voice to guide him, he'd ended up on a deserted road, destined to die alone after this girl had told him, that while she 'cared about him'—she'd never fallen out of love with his brother. And then, to add a side of vicious to that cruelest of jokes, instead of dying himself, he'd had to watch one of the only true friends he'd ever had on this planet die in his place and know that if it was happening, it was happening because the girl he loved had somehow died too!
That night had really nearly killed him, and not because of the threat to his line, that night Damon had been massacred emotionally. So, yeah, he was done listening to that idiotic voice. It was obviously a masochist!
"Okay," he said, nodding. "I'll uh…leave you to it then." He reminded her he'd pick her up at seven pm the next night and then he was gone, leaving Elena standing there with a pocketful of wishes for the night to come, yet terrified she'd used up all her lucky stars for the year, and that maybe, just maybe, she had actually lost him this time.
******************D&E**************D&E***************D&E***************
Okay guys, there is part 2. I know Damon is a little harsh, but in my opinion, he always gives in to her far too easily, and I wanted our favorite vamp to make her work a bit for him for once…
I also know I played a little fast and loose with Sire Bonds and Blood Bonding, but it suited what I'm going for here, so I changed them a bit to make it work. Don't flame me for it. :)
Okay, so let the musie know if she's on the right track…she is such a needy thing. ;) lol!
Part 3 will be up tomorrow.
Jen