When a sliver of sunlight breaks through a small gap in the curtain, Damon awakens. Momentarily confused as to his surroundings, a big goofy grin forms on his face when he feels the warmth of her body as she lays flush against him. There is no denying it, last night was the greatest night of his entire life. And although he can't find any guilt, he is a little concerned about how Stefan will react. Because now that he's had a taste of Elena, he knows that he can't let go, not now, not ever. Turning his head, he drops a kiss to her hair. Even that sends sparks flying and his blood rushing south. When she bends her knee, inadvertently laying her leg atop him, brushing over his junk, he groans aloud. Opening an eye, she smiles, leans up on her arm and joins their mouth in a long, slow and oh so smoldering kiss. Shifting a little, Damon pulls her on top of him. His cock is already engorged. With a little swagger of her own, she raises up, taking him all the way in when she lowers herself. Their lovemaking is hot and heavy and slow and seductive. They reach their pinnacles together with the cry of each other's name on their lips. Crashing onto his broad, muscular chest, Elena just lays there while Damon presses kisses to her face and strokes her back gently.
"You need to know, Elena that I don't regret any of this. I've wanted to be with you almost since the moment I laid eyes on you. I want this, I want us," he explains, using his index finger to motion back and forth between the two of them.
"I can't make myself feel guilty either, Damon. I know that you're probably thinking about him but it didn't work out between us. Whether there's a you and me or not, there will never again be a me and him. I can assure you of that. I want whatever this is too," she admits, dropping a kiss to his chest.
"I am going to have to talk to him. I want him to hear it from me, it's just that I don't know how to go about it but I'll figure it out. I don't want you to worry your pretty little head. Okay?"
"Okay," she whispers, her eyes meeting his. He doesn't say anymore, he just drops another kiss to her forehead. Not wanting to face the outside world just yet, she closes them, wanting only to revel in the feel of his arms around her for a little while longer. Snuggling in tightly, she breathes him in, trying to imprint his masculine scent into her mind. As much as she wants this with Damon, she doesn't want to be the spark that detonates their relationship. Although she knows first hand that they're not the best of friends, she does know that Damon loves his brother. If Katherine took up with one of her old boyfriends, Elena doesn't know how she'd feel. None of them have ever really had a meaningful effect on her.
Glancing at the clock on her bedside stand, Damon drops another kiss to her still damp hair and hugs her impossibly tighter against his body. "As much as I want to spend the rest of my life just like this, reality rears its ugly head," he says, using his eyes to motion towards her clock.
"Ugh," she groans, rolling off of him and to a sitting position on the opposite side of the bed.
"I suppose we could share a shower?" he asks, waggling his brows seductively.
"Follow me," she smirks. Taking his hand, she leads him into her bathroom where they lose themselves in each other all over again.
Strolling into the station, one right after the other, Elena just happens to catch Kol's attention. Being her best friend on the team, he can always pick up on her body language and facial expressions. When he smirks at her, his eyes darting from her to Damon, she knows that he has put two and two together. With her face blooming, she drops her chin to her chest for a moment. Leaning in, Damon whispers that he'll see her later and after giving her a quick kiss, he skirts into his office.
"So you and Damon...?"
"Kol, I hate that you can read me like a book," she laughs, swatting him playfully.
"Oh stop. I've seen the way you two look at each other. It's not rocket science, Elena. If he makes you happy, don't let anyone or anything get in the way of that, okay?" Nodding, she leans against him.
"I'll always have your back, kid. Remember that."
"I will. Same for me, you know that right?"
"I do, Elena," he smirks, adding, "Besides that, I can't wait to see how Stefan will react. Do a guy a favor... give me a head's up so I can have the popcorn ready."
"Kol!?" she laughs, giving him a shove. Unable to stop laughing herself, she leans into him, his own body shaking with mirth.
Once the laughter dies down, Kol turns to face her again. "Come on, the backyard is in dire need of some work. You game to help?"
"I am indeed." Standing up, the two of them escape through the back door, hand in hand.
Tired and sweaty from mowing the law with Kol, she walks over to the cooler to pour herself a cup of cold water. Swallowing it down, she refills her cup. When she raises it to her lips the second time, she turns when she hears her name.
"Elena, can I speak to you for a moment?" Ric asks, standing in his doorway.
"Sure," she nods. Swallowing down her water, she tosses the empty cup into the waste basket then walks into his office, taking a seat when he gestures for her to do so. "What is it?"
"I just got off the phone with your mother," he starts to say, his eyes searching hers intently, before continuing, "She said that your father has some event for this weekend and that I needed to free you from your festival responsibilities."
"She did not?" Elena asks incredulously as fire and brimstone start to brew and churn inside of her gut. "I had no idea that she would do this."
"I'm afraid she did, Elena. Do you want to quit? he asks, a concerned look on his face.
"No, no, Ric. I love my job. I will be there Saturday to take my turn at the booth. I'm sorry that she brought you into this."
"Elena, is everything okay? I hope you know that you can talk to me. Whatever you have to say will be strictly between the two of us."
"Yes, everything is okay. It's just that my dad is campaigning for his mayoral reelection. They're a little over the top sometimes."
"If you're sure?"
"I'm sure. Thanks for telling me," she adds. Standing up, she walks to the door. Pausing she turns around, "I really am sorry, Ric." Before he has a chance to respond, she's gone. Although she's angry and upset, she doesn't yet want to burden Damon with her family dynamics. Pulling her running shorts out of her locker, she slips into them and a hoodie before heading back outside to the training track and then she runs.
Exhausted, Damon pulls off his mask and plops down onto a felled tree trunk. Immediately his eyes search for her. He relaxes visibly when he sees her sitting between Kol and Rebekah. He can see the fatigue on all of their faces. Hot and sweaty, he pours a bottle of water over his head, looking up when he hears the dry leaves crackling under the weight of Brady's boots. Taking a seat bedside him, Brady also douses his hair after taking a long pull from his bottle.
"We did good today. We slayed the beast before she got out of control. That's a good feeling you know?"
"It is Brady. It really is," Damon agrees, his eyes drifting towards her again. When they meet, he gives her a nod then turns back to Brady.
"She was great out here today. She's a talented jumper, she's not afraid to get her hands dirty."
"She's very talented. We're lucky to have her," he admits, his mind wandering to all the different times that he happened to glance at her today. Being with her brings up all these new and different feelings. He's more than her boss now and he would die if anything ever happened to her. He knows she's not careless nor does she take unnecessary chances at least he's never though she was.. but still... theirs is a dangerous job. He can't even begin to fathom the indescribable pain he'd feel if something happened to her. Dropping his face into his hands, he knows that he's going to have to find some kind of balance between being her lover and her boss.
Once they're all back on the plane, Brady high fives her. "Wow, Elena, you dropped that tree at just the right moment today. You were unstoppable," he says, pride at his co-worker evident in his voice.
"Stop it," she laughs, not used to such praise. Her gaze finding Damon. Sharing a look, Damon finds himself drowning in them despite the fact that she's on one end of the plane and he's on the other.
"You all did great today. I'm proud of you. Drinks are on me when we get back if anyone is interested," he adds, quirking his brows. After a hearty round of applause, Damon sits back, pulls his hat down over his eyes and in mere moments, he's soundly sleeping.
Feeling tired and grimy, Elena decides to forego going to the bar. After sharing a moment alone with Damon, he tells her he'll stop by her house a little later. "Okay," she whispers, stealing a quick kiss from his lips before vacating the premises. After showering and changing, Damon drives over to one of their regular haunts. Seeing his friends, he starts to walk over to their table. Stopping short when he hears his brother's voice, Damon swallows thickly, knowing that he has secrets to reveal. A part of him relaxes when he sees that Stefan is with a girl. A little surprised, he can't help but hope that maybe it'll make the Elena news a little easier for him to take. Rather than open a can of worms tonight, he brushes it and goes to spend some time with his friends.
The next time he looks up, Stefan and the girl are gone. Extremely tired, Damon hands Brady some cash to pay for their drinks then departs. Wanting to hold her in his arms, he gets in his car and drives, stopping only when he reaches the sanctuary of her home.
Greeting him at the door, Elena pulls him into the living room. Pushing him on the couch, she plops down on his lap. With his head buried between her neck and shoulder, all he wants to do is stay like this till eternity passes and then some.
As soon as he steps into his parent's house, Willow immediately flies into his arms. "Well hello there," he laughs, carrying her into the kitchen where his mom is pulling out a baking sheet full of sugar cookies. Setting her down on the counter top, Damon reaches over and grabs one, shoving the hot cookie into his mouth.
"Hot," he squawks, reaching into the cupboard to pull out a water glass. After swallowing down a glass of water, he drops a kiss to his mom's cheek. "What's for supper?"
"I have a pot roast and vegetables in the crock pot. We'll eat when we finish the cookies."
"Sounds good, mom. Um, I saw Stef's car outside. Where is he?"
"He's outside with your dad. They should be back shortly."
"I guess I'll go to find him. I have something I need to tell him."
"Is everything okay, Damon?"
"I hope it will be," he adds ruefully, knowing that the odds of that are that of a snowballs chance in hell. Just as Damon turns around to go outside, his father and Stefan come into the house. Sharing a glance with his mom, she gives him a nudge.
"Hey Stef, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"
"I suppose."
"Let's go outside okay?"
"What is it that you can't share?"
"Stefan, come on. I just wanted to ask you about working for Liz and there's something else."
"Just say it, Damon," he snaps, getting a little defensive. Seeing that her sons are on the verge of maybe spewing some colorful metaphors, she tells them to take it in the other room. Nodding, Damon walks out, followed immediately by Stefan. Sharing a look with her husband, Mary is certain that whatever Damon has to say is sure to upset her other son. Shuddering at the thought, she hands Willow a spoon to start dropping dough onto a cookie sheet.
Reaching the other room, Damon asks Stefan if he wants to sit down. "Just say it, Damon," Stefan snaps. Damon can't help but notice his icy demeanor and almost threatening posture, his hands are on his hips, the glare in his eyes is anything but friendly.
"Elena and I are together, Stefan."
Although it takes a moment to sink in, Stefan's mouth parts slightly as he shakes his head back and forth. Closing the distance between them, he reels back and clocks Damon in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor. "Bastard! You were just lying in wait like a spider, waiting to devour your prey. As soon as she ended it with me, you moved in for the kill," he sneers, stepping back when their father steps between them. Offering Damon a hand, he pulls him up but maintains his position between his two sons.
"Listen Stefan. I didn't mean for it to happen. I did everything I could to deny my feelings for her. If you two were still together, she would never know how I feel about her. It was only after she assured me that whether I was in the picture or not, she wasn't going to go back to you."
"Ya know what? You two deserve each other. You're both insane, taking crazy chances when you're on a fire. Good luck keeping her safe with that hero complex of hers," he snaps. After leveling Damon with a scathing look, he grabs his jacket and runs out of the house. Seconds later they hear the roar of his car engine as he disappears in a haze of dust. Momentarily caught off guard by Stefan's admonition, he drops his eyes for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry, dad. I really am," Damon starts to say when his mom rushes into the room followed by Willow. Seeing his now swollen jaw, she ushers him into the kitchen. Handing him an ice bag, he holds it to his face. "He's getting good at that. It's the second time he's clocked me recently."
"The second time?"
"He's was drunk the other night and I made the bartender cut him off so I could get him home. Nik helped but he clobbered me that night too."
"I'm sorry, Damon. I know you love your brother. Want to tell me what this one was about?"
"Elena and me.. we're together mom. I'm crazy about her but the last thing I wanted was to hurt him. I can't help the way I feel."
"We know you didn't do anything to hurt him intentionally. And you're right, we can't help what we feel. I always thought Elena was a better match for you anyway. I think I told you that."
"You did. I can't imagine my life without her right now. I don't want to." When he hears his father's voice he turns his head as his dad pulls up a chair.
"If you truly care for Elena, your mom and I will support you one hundred percent. I knew the first time I saw her with Stefan that it wouldn't last."
"But how could you know that?"
"I saw the way she would sneak a peak here and a glance there at you."
"I've felt it for a long time but I didn't want to interfere in their relationship. It was only after they broke up that I acted on it. You have to know that I never would've put the moves on her if she was still with him.'
"Yes, we know. Give him some time to cool off and think clearly, but in the meantime, those cookies smell awfully good," he says, raising an eyebrow at his wife. Putting a few on a plate, she sets it on the table. Just as he reaches for one, Willow comes back in the room and climbs on his lap. When she wraps her little arms around his neck to give him a hug, Damon can't help but feel the weight lifted off of his shoulders if only for a little while.
Having spent most of the day at his parents house and still upset about the fallout with Stefan, Damon can't wait to take her into his arms and kiss her like it's the first time. After knocking on her door, he turns around, dropping his forehead into his hand. Turning abruptly when he hears the door open, he closes the distance between them, capturing her lips in a bruising kiss. Pushing her into the house, he kicks the door closed with his boot. He walks her backwards until they reach his favorite kitchen counter. Lifting her up, he traps her between his arms and tears her shirt over her head. Not one to be outdone, Elena grabs onto his shirt tails, sending the buttons flying haphazardly when she rips it open, revealing his taut muscles to her. Roaming her fingers over his body, she grazes first one nipple and then his other with her teeth, making the bulge in his jeans grow painful. Gently he cradles her face with his hands, joining their lips in an electric kiss that makes Elena literally see sparks.
"Bedroom," she murmurs, biting onto his lower lip. As soon as the kiss ends, he carries her to the bedroom where he makes love to her, his strokes long and deep and full of emotion. When they finish, she lays in his arms, drawing little circles on his chest with her index finger. After dropping a kiss to his finely sculpted chest, she meets his gaze.
"Do you want to tell me what's wrong and how you got this bruise on your jaw?" she asks, palming it ever so gently.
"Nothing is wrong as long as you're in my arms, Elena."
"Damon, that's a beautiful sentiment but please let's be honest with each other?"
"I told him about us. Let's just say he didn't take it very well... but what about you, what did Ric have to say?"
"My father is in a mayoral election and far be it from me to..," she stops when she realizes that she was about to spill too much. "Anyway, my mom called him to try to get me relieved from my turn at the booth this weekend."
"I'm sorry, Elena. I'd probably blow a vessel if one of my parents did that. Is she pretty overbearing?"
Not wanting to get into her disjointed family life, she brushes him off, instead saying, "I told Ric that I wasn't about to shirk my responsibilities."
Pressing a kiss to her head, he makes it a point to have a word with Ric. "You know that Ric is fair, Elena. He'd never punish you for lack of a better work over one phone call."
"I know that. Can we just not talk about it anymore?"
"Sure," he whispers, unable to keep himself from kissing her again and again and again. Even though he's certain that she's not being entirely honest with him, he has to believe that she'll be forthright when she's ready. Their relationship is still brand new after all. Staring at the ceiling, he gasps suddenly when he feels her moist hot mouth on him. "Elena," he blurts, forcing the words out. "I'm going to cum." Pausing, Elena looks up at him with smoldering, heavily lidded eyes and flushed cheeks. Realizing that she was enjoying this as much as he was, he pants heavily when she whispers huskily, "You taste yummy." Mere words nudge him that much closer to the precipice and when she slides her mouth on him again, he feels his belly heat and begin to tighten.
"God, Elena, that feels incredible," he pants, his hammering heart taking his breath away. Having successfully taken his mind off of her family, Elena sucks and licks and squeezes, finally scratching that erogenous spot between his penis and his junk. But when he feels his tip graze the back of her throat, he releases spectacularly with a scream of ecstasy and his hand holding her to him. In the aftermath, he pulls her onto his chest, rolls her beneath him and as soon as his blood rushes south again, he takes her over the edge too. Hearing his name spill from her lips in the throes of passion has to be the best thing he's ever heard.
"There they are mommy," Willow screams excitedly, pulling free from her dad's hand, she runs over to the smokejumper booth where Elena is showing some kids how to properly put on a parachute. Hearing Willow's voice, she looks up and waves before turning her attention back to the children. Joining the group after her dad nods, she watches with rapt attention as Elena explains each step. Having stepped away to get himself and Elena something to drink, Damon sees his parents standing by the Fort Wainwright Smokejumpers booth. Seeing him approach, his dad steps aside so Damon can get behind the counter. After setting their drinks down, Damon shakes his dad's hand, gives his mother a kiss and thanks them for coming.
Hearing laughter, Elena looks up to see Damon and his parents smiling and laughing about something. Inside, she wishes her family was as easy going and carefree as the Salvatore's. Damon seems to have a fabulous relationship with his parents and lord knows that Willow adores him. Feeling a tug on her shirt, she turns her attention to a young boy, answering his questions as best she can in language that little ones can understand.
"So have you seen Stefan since you know, he found out about me and Elena? I'd hate to alienate him from you guys too."
"Yes, he's been at the house. And yes, he's still upset but he and I had a long chat. So once the sting wears off, I hope he'll let the anger go."
"I hope so too, mom. I really do. And I know you can't choose between us but it means a lot that you can support both of us."
"I'm your mother, it's my job to love my sons and steer them in the right direction. I just happen to think that Elena was the right direction for you."
Smiling, Damon wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close, giving her a hug. As soon as Elena finishes her presentation, she, holding Willow's hand walk over to join them. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore."
"How are you, Elena?"
"I'm good."
"I do hope you and Damon will come out to the house for a meal one of these days. Willow can't stop reminding me that I need a lesson in French braiding?"
When she starts laughing, it's the sweetest music to Damon's ears. He loves it when she seems free of whatever weighs her down sometimes. Hoping she'll share it soon, he steps to his side and takes her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. Kissing it gently, he smiles at her. Their trance broken when Brady and Kol show up to take their places at the booth. After having a few words with their co-workers and Damon's parents, they decide to spend a little time at the festival. With Willow between them, holding each of their hands, they walk around the little tents and kiosks, looking what people are selling. Stopping at a jewelry kiosk, Damon notices how smitten Elena seems with a Rhodonite pendant. It's a stunning pink gemstone whose name comes from the Greek word for rose.
Wanting to make her happy, he purchases the necklace, putting it around her beautiful neck when she raises her curtain of hair for him. Seeing it drape in the space between her breasts, he's completely mesmerized by the way it rises and falls with each breath she takes. After glancing at Willow who's still looking at the jewelry, he leans forward, "I'm going to make love to you later and you're only going to wear this," he whispers huskily, his mouth at her ear. Feeling a shiver of lust surge through her, Elena discreetly puts her legs together. With a wink, Damon turns around to see what his sister is up to. Unable to deny Willow anything either, he buys her a little bracelet and then the three of them spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying each others company. All Elena can think about is how much she wishes that her family could be like this.
Huge thanks to Eva. Love you lots.
And thank you all so much for supporting my work. It means so much to both myself and Eva.
Chapter title: 'I Got Your Back' by Iron Weasel featuring Caitlyn Taylor Love.
I did post a Christmas one shot on Friday called "Someday at Christmas". Fan fiction was having issues yesterday so from what I've been told, no alerts went out for it. I would love for you all to give a read and perhaps a review. I'm really happy with how it turned out.
"ICEM" is still in progress. I will be updating my other Christmas story, "Same Old Lang Syne" soon. I am participating in the annual A2A exchange on Live Journal again this year. It was just posted yesterday so I don't know the prompts yet. I have another Christmas story ready to go. Watch for 'Run for the Roses". And there's a one-shot I'm working on for someone.
Have a safe and wonderful weekend. Please remember to click the review button. We'll see you all the next time.