Elena wakes up at the crack of dawn, her eyes snapping wide open as her nightmare fades into oblivion. The gentle sway of the ship as the waves crash into it soon begin to lull her back to sleep. However, contrary to what she wants, going back to sleep, a gnawing feeling keeps creeping into her conscious mind. As hard as she tries to push it away, she can't. She isn't able to forget about the world anymore. George is laying beside her, still deeply locked in dreamland, slumber, thoughts of her, she doesn't know nor does she care. Her only wish is that she could simply disappear into nothingness and start a new life somewhere far away.
She stiffens when she hears him grunt and feels him roll over. Laying as still as a statue, she breathes a sigh of relief when she hears the rhythmic sounds of his breathing again. Pressing her hands together, she lays her head down on them. When did it all go so horribly wrong?
Her childhood was happy. When she was a little girl, everyone was good to her. She was her mommy and daddy's little princess, nothing was too good for her. From the time she was very young, they plied her with toys and pets, ending with the finest schools and dresses that money could buy.
She isn't sure when it changed or why. When did she stop being her daddy's little girl and became his tangible asset instead? Her parents probably planned to have more children but whatever their reason was, it never happened.
Soon they sat her down in their opulent living room and explained to her all about family duties and importance of business. She most certainly never got the concept of it, because it somehow escaped her knowledge that she would actually have no choice. If she was old enough and aware of all the implications at that time, she could have done something, anything to run far away from her fate.
But she was told that love is something that comes with time and that only strong foundations, family names and wealth, the same social circle and wise advice from her loved ones can guarantee a successful life and marriage. She was probably naïve but she believed it. And now she's been left to pay the price, a steep one at that.
George may not be satisfied either because so far she managed to prevent his complete victory but he has a plethora of ways to make her feel miserable and inadequate. Lately he takes pleasure in manhandling, using intimacy to brutalize and humiliate her. She shudders to admit that he knows how well it works. He makes sure she feels the remnants of his... attention for days afterwards.
This is how 'love' and marriage are supposed to work?
He lets out a snore behind her and Elena tenses yet again. She can't stay here not even for a minute longer. She knows when he wakes up he will grab her sore shoulder and pull her under him once again just to show her that he can. Her stomach roils at the though of having his hands on her body. She'd choke if he tried to press his filthy lips on hers. The very thought is something that she just cannot face this morning.
Determination begins to burn inside of her. He's so close to breaking her completely but she won't give him the satisfaction, not today. Carefully she sits up and lowers her feet to the floor. As quietly as a mouse, she stands and slips into the bathroom to put a dress on. After pinning her hair, she finds a hat and covers it up. Once more she glances at her husband, disgust billowing like a wildfire, makes her heart race. She needs air, she needs to breathe.
Once outside she hurries to the promenade deck, being careful not to attract anyone's attention. She leans against the rail and closes her eyes to let the wind soothe her worries. It's magical. It's purifying.
"Mrs. Lockwood, what are you doing here this early? Are you alright...?"
Blowing out a breath, Damon gives report to his replacement and then begins to walk towards his cabin. He had barely drifted off to sleep when a resounding series of knocks on his cabin door awakened him. Stumbling to it, he was about to raise Cain only to swallow his temper when he found First Officer Mikaelson standing there. Second officer Logan Fell, who was supposed to be on the watch, came down with a stomach flu. Since Damon is the Third Officer, it is his job to fill to take his place.
The night goes smoothly though. Damon finishes up just as the sun begins to rise in the eastern sky. He honestly doesn't mind working nights sometimes because the sunrises are beautiful beyond description. He can see that it's going to be a wonderful day too even though the air is still a little crisp this time of year. The waters in the Atlantic are freezing cold. Covering his mouth he yawns widely, fatigue starting to take hold. Shielding his eyes, he stands on the railing to watch the sun come up for a few minutes. Afterwards, he plans to go straight to his cabin to try to at least catch a few hours of sleep.
By sheer happenstance, he catches a glimpse of a flowing girly figure running in the direction of the promenade deck. His heart skitters wildly for a moment because he's pretty sure he knows who it is. Without even thinking about it, he hurries after her.
He lurches to a halt when he gets closer. There she is, more beautiful than ever, strands of her hair escaping from under the hat she's wearing. The dress looks like some kind of a dressing gown. It's flowy and light but it must be just the loose style and floral patterned material. She's sitting at the edge of one of the deck chairs. Her beautiful brown eyes are shrouded by her hands. He can see by the deep rise and fall of her chest that she's breathing in the fresh sea air. It's almost as if she needs to remind herself that to live, she needs to breathe.
The shade of color on her face is rather alarming. She doesn't look well and the thought that she's not stabs at his insides. Damon struggles with himself for about a millisecond before he finally approaches her.
"Mrs. Lockwood, what are you doing out here this early? Is everything alright?"
She freezes for a second, then slowly her hands leave her face and she's looking up at him.
She knows that voice. The contrast to George's usual sarcastic tone is too much. Elena makes an attempt to stand up and collect her dignity but Officer Salvatore, Damon, she's heard him called, is there. Before she can help herself, he's already offering her his hand. She takes it gingerly and is well aware of his firm squeeze when he pulls her forward. She takes a step back and looks aside. "I... didn't feel well this morning, needed some fresh air. I'll be on my way in a minute."
Damon feels a little remorse for interrupting her private moment and he knows he should apologize and give her space but he's unable to do so. His feet simply won't move as he looks into her beautiful yet unhappy face. Her eyes are red-rimmed betraying the fact that she's been crying. What strikes him the most is that her usual fire is nowhere to be seen.
And then his legs move of their own accord and he takes another step towards her, his eyes never leaving her form. His breath hitches when her dress slides lower down her shoulder revealing angry purple bruises to his eyes. Someone's hands clearly left them there. Elena notices his stare and immediately covers her shoulder. Mortified and feeling embarrassed, she quickly skirts around him, mumbling for him to have a good day as she increases the distance between them.
In shock and angry too, Damon watching her retreating form until she disappears around the corner.
Embarrassed, Elena runs into their cabin not caring who will see her. As soon as she's inside, she pushes the door closed, leaning against it with her back. Closing her eyes, she takes in a big swallow of air. She hurried back as fast as she could. When she opens her eyes, she releases a big sigh of relief when she doesn't see George. Unless he's in their bedroom, he has already left.
However, she finds herself staring right into her maid's face. Elizabeth has been waiting for her. She's shocked at her lady's appearance. She's never seen Mrs. Lockwood in such a state before. The wild look on her face is foreign to the older woman. Elena hates the look of shock and a brief flash of pity that she sees in Elizabeth's face.
Just as she's about to ask Mrs. Lockwood if she's okay, Elena quickly collects herself. She asks the other woman to help her to get cleaned up and ready for breakfast. When Elizabeth nods, Elena excuses herself, saying that she's going to shower before disappearing into her bedroom holding her breath that she won't find her husband there.
Damon is still in shock after his encounter with Mrs. Lockwood. Just the thought of those ugly purple bruises makes his blood boil. As a result, Damon is too edgy to sleep. Instead of going to take a nap like he had planned, he simply washes his face with cold water and proceeds to do his morning duties. He checks the stands and then heads downstairs to get some breakfast.
Disgust bubbles up inside of him when he finds George chatting with Miss Pierce. She's wearing a rather flirtatious lavender number with a slit up the leg. His gut churns when he sees how she leans forward to give him a view of her ample cleavage. When Mr. Vanderbilt approaches the table, she waves her fan in front of her face. Damon turns away when the tycoon joins the two of them.
They didn't even notice that Damon had been staring at them. If he didn't need his job, he'd throw George overboard himself. Since the two of them are cavorting, he knows that Elena won't subject herself to her husband's further humiliation. She's nowhere to be found. He can't exactly hide his true feelings because when Kol's hand hits his shoulder, the young man is full of mirth.
"Why would Third Officer Salvatore be looking at Mr. Lockwood as if he's an ogre?"
Damon stiffens as the youngest Mikealson suprises him with his astuteness. Once he swallows past the invisible lump in his throat, he glances back at George a moment and then turns to face Kol.
"Good morning Kol, I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." When he sees the captain eyeing him skeptically from across the room, Damon gives his full attention to Kol. "Where is your family this morning?"
"They decided to stay in their cabin... but the good news is that Sage and my brother are still coming..." he winks at Damon, who can't help but chuckle at the boy's antics.
"Thank you for the warning," he mutters and tries to decide why he feels so at ease in the young Mikaelson's company.
"Have breakfast with me," Kol points at their table, "I insist."
Damon respectfully nods and joins him at the Mikaelson family table.
"What was the warning yesterday about?" Kol asks, catching him off guard.
"What you mean?" Damon slowly looks at him, tenting his hands in front of him.
Kol gives him a grin. "Well, I heard my brother talking about it with a crew member. I figured I should find out the details."
Damon hesitates for a few moments wondering whether or not he should divulge such information. Since his brother is the first officer, he figures he has nothing to lose so he goes into detail about it. When he finishes, he tries to reassure the young man that it's likely nothing and that they get reports like this regularly. In times such as these, it's to be expected.
But Kol is sharp and sees right through Damon. "You're worried though, yes?"
"I assure you on my honor that if anything should happen we'll do everything possible to prevent any harm."
"Alright, nice formal answer but I guess I asked for it. Thanks for the honesty," he adds and strangely Damon knows it's not sarcasm, he's being genuine. Suddenly some invisible force draws Damon's focus to the dining room's entrance. His mouth parts slightly as he watches her gracefully walk between the tables, finally taking a seat with Miss Kelly Donovan, one of the ship's entertainers.
When he hears Kol chuckle slightly, Damon clears his throat and looks at him. He feels his face heat up but hopes that his red cheeks aren't on parade for all to see. Kol smiles knowingly then takes a long pull from his coffee cup, his eyes full of mirth but never leaving Damon's. Before he can respond to Kol's rather suggestive look, he's saved from further embarrassment when Finn and Sage arrive for breakfast. Perfect timing. He sets his cup down and then stands to pull the chair out for her.
"Thank you, Officer Salvatore." She smiles indicating her good mood. Damon just hopes it's not because of him. Finn is as broody as he always seems to be. Kol however looks dangerously amused which is usually not a good sign. Damon manages not to send Elena looks every five seconds which is rather impressive given the circumstances. He looks in George's direction instead and what he sees worries him. George, having noticed his wife's presence and her dining companion doesn't look at all happy. Damon is disgusted. The man has no right to judge her given that his company is highly inappropriate. That fact clearly doesn't bother him at all. Bastard, Damon thinks to himself.
Elena didn't give much thought to going to breakfast, with Elizabeth's help she's presentable in no time. She looks at herself in the mirror, smoothing her dress a little as she does so. It's royal purple with a lavender colored floral overlay that drops to her knees. The same royal purple wraps around her middle just below her breasts, accentuating her curves. Despite her unsavory husband, she takes pride in her appearance. She thanks her maid while slipping on a sweater to conceal her bruises and then heads for the dining room. She spots him at Miss Pierce table immediately and has a feeling that she should just turn around and leave. She hesitates for a moment and on a second thought... why should 'she' leave? Elena sees the entertainer lady, Kelly... something and on impulse she walks over to her table with her head held high.
"May I join you? I don't like eating alone and my husband is nearly finished."
Kelly looks in George's direction and warmly smiles at Elena. "Of course Mrs. Lockwood, it'd be an honor."
Elena blushes when she sees Kelly's surprise, this is probably highly inappropriate but Elena doesn't care. She takes a seat at Kelly's table and voices a compliment about her performance last night when she sang and danced for the crowd. She's wearing a lovely periwinkle long sleeved dress with gray trim around the wrists and ankles. They quickly settle into a pleasant light conversation. The woman has no filter and soon enough, Elena is laughing and nodding at her jokes. She is about to pick up her coffee cup when Georges shadow falls on the table. Knowing she's in trouble, she slowly looks up at him and...
"Miss Donovan," he addresses her. With his eyes fixed on his Elena's, he adds, "I'm sure you understand if I borrow my wife for a little."
Damon almost panics when he sees Elena's husband approach her. George doesn't look at all happy with her. Just the though of him laying a hand on her makes his heart start to slam against his ribs. He tenses even more as when she slowly looks up at him. The Mikaelsons's seem oblivious to his distress, all but one of them that is. Kol also sees Mr. Lockwood approaching his wife with a rather gruff look on his face. He leans closer to Sage.
"Sage, darling, what do you think, should we invite the lovely Mrs. Lockwood and her not so nice husband to our table? The poor thing doesn't get to have much fun with that pompous idiot..." Finn lifts his head to protest but Sage is already on board.
"Of course we should. Finn, sweetheart, would you be so kind and bring them to our table? You know George Lockwood admires you..." Finn nearly snorts but he does get up and approaches the Lockwood's.
"Good morning ladies, Mr. Lockwood? My wife and I would like you to join us."
George stops himself from doing anything that could spoil his business ventures with that family later on. "Mr. Mikaelson, we will be pleased, of course, thank you." He helps Elena stand up and to his great surprise, Finn offers his arm to that show woman. They all end up at the MIkaelson's table. Damon looks at Kol who looks like the cat who ate the canary. He's enjoying this too much.
Although she never looks in his direction, Damon slowly relaxes when she and her husband join in the conversation. But he doesn't miss the discreet way the man occasionally casts an eye on Miss Pierce. She is dressed to the nines in a gold dress with brocade flowers. When she's joined by the Captain, George suddenly chokes on his coffee. With the group's attention on him, Damon happens to meet the Captain's rather discordant stare. Swallowing thickly, Damon turns his attention back to Finn Mikaelson who is laughing at one of Miss Donovan's jokes.
After they finish, George stands and pulls the chair out for Elena. "Thank you, Mr. Mikaelson, Mrs. Mikaelson." George wishes the Mikaelsons a good day. He even goes so far as to give a polite look to Kelly. They're about to leave when Sage grabs his arm, stopping him. "Oh, Mr. Lockwood, I was thinking you should encourage your wife to join us, my mother in law and myself I mean, for our afternoon tea? We can make plans over lunch."
Dear George has no chance to refuse this offer, Damon thinks. He just nods and adds more thanks and bows and leads his wife away.
"Man, you have it bad," Kol leans discreetly in his direction. "I'd be all for letting that poor woman have some fun, she looks like she needs it with that pompous idiot of a husband but I'm afraid she's not the type?" The look that washes over Damon's face stops him from any further teasing. This voyage might become even more interesting.
He doesn't know how true it turns to be.
The night is beautiful, the stars completing the picture and Elena enjoys being outside. She purposely avoids the promenade deck in case Officer Salvatore would happen to be there again. Instead, she's standing between two of the lifeboats on A deck. He won't find her here, she thinks. The boats line either side of A deck but there is ample room for the ship's passengers to enjoy a leisurely stroll.
The fresh, salty smell of sea air and the gentle sounds of the ocean soothe her mind. She's more than ready for this day to end but she's too nervous to sleep so she slipped out of their cabin to take a walk. George won't be coming for her tonight and while she should feel angry, she's simply grateful for the reprieve however short it may be. She's leaning against the railing when a figure appears next to her, but keeps a respectable distance.
"You don't need to hide from me," he says quietly. "I'll do whatever you want me to do, if it's not to seek your company..."
Elena almost lets out a sob. How is it possible that a man can be so thoughtful and kind without expecting anything in return? She wishes she could start her life over again. Differently. As someone else. Maybe she'd get the chance to meet someone who'd love her for her, who'd care whether or not she's happy. Someone who would touch her without it hurting. Someone whose kiss would shatter the earth and not demand her submission.
Damon can see her eyes glisten which he suspects are tears and his heart's breaking for her.
"Should I leave you alone?"
For the first time in her life, Elena wants to be selfish, wants something for herself. What it would be like if Damon kissed her? What would if feel like to be in his arms? How did she even let herself come this far that she's having thoughts like this? She releases a small whimper, "No..."
Damon is too stunned to even breathe. Did he hear her right? Does she want him to stay?
Before any of these questions can be answered he watches in slow motion as Elena suddenly turns to him, her small hands drawing him closer. "I'm sorry...," she whispers and then her lips press onto his. They are full and soft and he savors every slide of them against his own. Her hands on his uniform are clumsy and shaking but he's never in his life tasted anything so good. He can't help but take the initiative, consequences be damned. His arms encircle her petite form in a tight embrace, his mouth opens over hers and his teeth catch her lower lip in a gentle bite. They sink into it and he soothes it with his tongue, savoring the fresh taste, hoping to prolong this moment forever.
Although the kiss is slow he is soon out of breath and needs to pause but his lips never stop touching hers. The air between them crackles with electricity, his desire for her is stronger than anything he's ever known before. He's unwilling to release her as he's afraid that he'll never again get to join their mouths or embrace her in his arms. He never wants to let go. After a moment, she unwillingly does take a step back, her eyes rising to meet his. She never wants to break the invisible connection that was born in this precious moment. She never wants to leave him.
"I'm sorry," she repeats. "I shouldn't have done it. But I..."
"But you?" Damon asks, gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I... I.. At least once in my life I wanted to know," she shakes her head sadly, knowing that it cannot happen again. "It doesn't change anything I know that but it does mean something precious to me. It was selfish." They stare wordlessly for several minutes and then she whispers, "Damon."
His name sounds so different coming from her mouth, he wishes that he could listen to it till the end of time. With tears in her eyes, she skirts around him and slowly leaves his sight. Breathing heavily, he grabs onto the ship railing, squeezing it tightly. As he watches the ship cut through the glassy ocean surface, his mind drifts to her soft lips and her beautiful voice. How will he ever recover from this?
Love you, Eva. Thank you so much for everything you do for me. I would be lost without you.
A huge thank you to all of you. I'm so happy that you seem to like this story. There's still a few chapters left to post. You're the best. And yes, in case you're wondering, this ship is afloat longer than Titanic was.
I posted Elena's purple dress and Katherine's gold one on my FB page.
I did post the first chapter of 'This Isn't What We Meant" yesterday. I hope you'll give it a look. It's a dark story but in a much different vein than "Edge of Thorns". We're nearing the end of it. "Tomorrow" will be updating next.
Have a safe and wonderful day and thank you all again.