a/n: for this story, Damon didn't kill Jeremy after the kiss with Elena, but since Jeremy knows, he puts the vervain in Damon's liquor anyway.
so I got twenty reviews for one chapter...that is a personal best for me. Thank you guys so much! I'm really glad you like this story. Hopefully this chapter lives up to your expectations after the first one :) For those of you that don't read Within Temptation, I'll tell you what I have planned for this story. I'm going to be taking each episode and changing it to make it pure Delena. That being said, this story is more like a deleted scene than a rewrite.
last thing! I started writing my Delena wedding story (from the Nothing Without You series) so look for it soon :)
TWO
There were arms wrapped around her, making her feel secure. Her back rested against a muscular chest. His cheek was pressed against hers, making her smile. "I love you, you know that right?" he asked.
She nodded and turned her head to the side in order to see him. "Of course I know that," she returned, reveling in the feel of his arms tightening their hold. "I love you too."
He kissed her cheek and moved his lips to her ear, gently taking her lobe between his teeth. She smiled more and relaxed against him. She had never felt this safe before. It was a strange thought, considering she knew what he was; what he was capable of doing, but it was true. Wanting to kiss him properly, she managed to turn in his arms. Her eyes went wide with shock at the sight of him. His blue eyes were staring at her with wonder and love; his black hair hanging haphazardly as if her fingers had raked through them one too many times before.
"Elena," he breathed, reaching up to cup her face while he leaned in.
The moment his lips touched hers, a jolt of electricity coursed through her body. It was the same burst of emotion she had felt when he had kissed her in her room, when he had almost staked her, when Bonnie had almost killed him. "Damon..." she whispered.
"What?" came a stern, familiar voice.
Elena sat up straight, taking in the sight of her bedroom. Her mind was racing while her heart hammered in her chest. Her hand went to her lips as she looked at Stefan with fright. "I-" she started, speaking around her fingers.
Stefan shook his head and sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her with curiosity and a hint of jealousy. "Why were you dreaming of Damon?" he asked, his eyes darting to her window.
She shrugged and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. "I have no idea," she said. She had told Stefan about Damon's visit, but not about the kiss. Stefan knew she didn't want to be around Damon, she had said as much during the carnival, but the dream...that was eerie. "God, that was so weird," she breathed, leaning forward to put her head in her hands. When everything settled, she looked at Stefan. "What are you doing here?"
He smiled at her, choosing to ignore the fact that she had said his brother's name the moment he kissed her. "I took Caroline home and helped her with a few things. Now that that is taken care of, there's something we have to do," he said, getting to his feet and extending a hand to her.
"Such as?"
His smile widened as he beckoned her with his hand. "It's a surprise."
"Stefan, it's- What time is it?"
He sighed, knowing that she hated surprises. "It's almost dawn. Come on, get dressed."
She smiled and got to her feet. "Where are we going?" she asked again as she headed to her dresser to get a pair of jeans.
"To the Ferris wheel. I believe I owe you a kiss at the very top." Elena paused and turned to look at him. When her lips parted with the beginnings of a question, he used his speed to stand before her and lay his hand over her mouth. "Please don't ask any questions."
Elena nodded and continued getting ready. Instead of using her window like he had to get in, they walked downstairs to use the front door. Stefan's car was out front, causing Elena to shake her head. He could have used his speed to get them both there, but instead, he had brought his car. The drive was silent, which was hard for Elena because it gave her a chance to think about the dream.
When they arrived, Stefan had her wait at the car and came back five minutes later. "Where'd you go?" she asked.
"I told the guards to take a break," he explained and led her to the Ferris wheel.
She looked up and then around at the deserted fair grounds. "Um, how are we supposed to get up there?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "Hold on tight," he told her.
Elena gasped in surprise as they went soaring into the air only to land softly in the carriage at the top of the ferris wheel. "That was incredible," she breathed, taking a few short breaths as she looked around. "Why did you bring me here?"
He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled at her. "Because I promised you that I would. It may not be exactly as you imagined it earlier, but we have to take these moments when we can. Who knows when we'll have time to be normal again."
Elena groaned and sat back. "You think she'll come back?"
She saw him nod and turned to look at him again. "What she did to Caroline is only the beginning. She'll be back alright, and she won't be leaving until either she dies or we do." Again, he prevented Elena from speaking by putting two fingers over her lips. "I don't want to talk about her. Right now, I want to kiss you and hold you until the sun comes up."
Elena nodded and smiled lightly at him. "I think I can managed that," she returned and leaned into him.
She closed her eyes when their lips met. Elena stilled as she thought of the kiss she shared with Damon. Stefan's kiss felt like an elementary playground kiss in comparison. She squashed that thought and kissed Stefan back, hoping that he hadn't sensed her hesitation. When they broke apart, they smiled at each other. She rested her head on his shoulder and he pulled her close. They sat like that for hours, watching the sun rise, enjoying the normality while it lasted.
Damon sat on the couch in the boarding house with an empty glass tumbler in his hands. Since Jeremy had spiked his liquor, he had been reduced to putting himself in a trance. For countless hours, he had been staring at the fireplace with the images of Elena parading in front of him on repeat. First, there was the kiss in her bedroom. The one where she had claimed she felt more for Stefan than she had for him. He scoffed and raised the glass to his lips, only to scowl at the fact that it was still empty.
Second, there was the image of how she looked when she had stepped in front of the stake that had been intended for Caroline. Had he not seen her when he did, that stake would have been driven straight through her heart. And there wouldn't have been anything he could do to bring her back. His hand tightened on the glass to the point where it cracked, but didn't shatter. He would never have been able to forgive himself if he hadn't stopped in time.
Then, at last, the pain in her voice when Elena realized Bonnie wasn't going to stop using her magick until he was dead. The sight of her jumping over fire to save him gave Damon more than enough hope. Maybe she had realized her feelings for him ran deeper than she thought.
For the thousandth time that night, Damon brought the tumbler to his lips. Infuriated by the lack scotch, he pushed himself to his feet and launched the tumbler at the mantle. It was the second glass he had shattered in two days. Damon rolled his eyes, knowing Stefan was going to watch him even more closely. Especially because he did want Caroline dead; really dead. The idea of her following him around forever was... He stopped and laughed; Caroline would be to Damon what he was to Stefan. After his bout of laughter, he shuddered; utterly mortified by that thought.
"I need more liquor," he announced to the empty mansion. He brought the bottle to the kitchen and dumped, leaving the bottle in the sink. He knew there was a cart full of liquor, but Jeremy had ruined his favorite scotch. It was the only thing he had found over the years that would calm him. Everything else seemed to make his mood worse or had no effect at all. Right now, with the thoughts and images of Elena fresh in his mind, he needed any help he could get.
That girl would be the death of him.
Using his vampiric speed, he was at the liquor store in no time. He took his time browsing around, trying to force patience to come to him. After making his selection, he headed to the front counter. As the man at the register opened his mouth to tell him the price, Damon locked eyes with him. "This is free."
The man stared off into space for a moment and then nodded. "Don't worry about, it's on the house," he said in a monotonous voice.
"Great," Damon said and grinned at the other man. With that, he grabbed the bottle and left the store. As he stood on the sidewalk, he thought about where to go. The easy answer was home, but he wanted- needed- to see Elena. He wanted to thank her for saving his life, again.
Before he could think it through, he was standing in front of her house. Using his vampire abilities, he jumped to her window and climbed in. His body went rigid at the sight of her empty bed. He set the bottle on the dresser and looked around for any signs of distress, but there wasn't any. Just as he was about to go wake Jeremy to find out what had happened, he heard Elena's stifled giggle.
The sound of the front door opening allowed Damon to relax a bit, only to tense when he heard Stefan's voice. "Do you want me to tuck you in?" he asked. Damon shuddered held his stomach as though he were going to be sick.
Elena giggled again. "If you do that, I'm not going to let you leave. Jenna would freak out if she knew about this." Damon gagged as he heard kissing noises.
"Alright. I'll see you in school then?"
"Goodnight Stefan."
"Good morning Elena," he returned.
Relief washed over Damon as he heard Elena ascend the stairs. Alone. He felt his lips take on the shape of a smirk as the doorknob twisted beneath her fingers. As she pushed the door open, the happiness in her was replaced with fear and he heard the sharp intake of breath. "Boo."
Her fear gave way to fury as her lips pressed together to form a thin line. She hurried to close the door and turned back to glare at him. "What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed.
Damon half turned to look out the window, surprised to see that the sun was beginning to show over the horizon. "I believe the better question is why are you just coming home."
"My boyfriend had a surprise for me." The way she said that word left him feeling as if she had shoved a sliver of wood into his body.
"How sweet," he said in a deadpan voice. Damon sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to kiss you again," he informed her. "Unless, of course, you want me to," he added, waggling his brows at her suggestively.
Elena paled, remembering the dream she had woken up from. Her hand immediately went to her necklace as she stepped back. Damon noticed the change in her. "Damon..." she muttered, using that tone that said he did something wrong. "What are you doing here?" Elena enunciated each word, hoping that he would just get it over with and leave her alone.
"I came to thank you," he said bluntly.
He saw her straighten, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "Thank me?"
"You saved my life. Again," he added, hating that fact that a human girl had managed to save him at least three times now.
He saw the smile tug at the corner of her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's becoming somewhat of a chore."
Damon grabbed the bottle from the dresser and opened it. "Care to have a drink with me?"
"Not really."
"Please? It's a special occasion."
She shook her head in disbelief. "How do you figure?"
"You saved my life," he repeated, tipping the bottle towards her in invitation. "Not many people would do that and I feel like celebrating."
Elena kept her eyes narrowed as she crossed the room and gently took the bottle from him. She raised it to her lips and took a deep drink; the liquid burning its way down her throat. As she pulled the bottle away, she coughed. "That stuff is horrible."
Damon took the bottle from her and took a drink. He got a hint of her mixed in with the alcohol, making it hard for him to be near her for much longer. "Why did you save me? I thought you hated me."
She shook her head again. "I never said I hated you." The words made him take another drink. "I care about you Damon, I do. We're friends. You're there when I need you and I'm here when you need me." She paused as he took another drink, longer this time. He knew what was coming next. "Yes, I feel something for you, but I'm with Stefan. That's not going to change. I can't help that you have feelings for me and I'm sorry that I can't return them. Like I said before, I have no problem being your friend, but if you don't think you can just be friends with me, then I can't keep that relationship with you. I won't do that to Stefan; I don't want to be like Katherine."
Damon knew she had given a speech, but he only heard the part where she admitted she had some feelings for him. "You have feelings for me?"
Elena rolled her eyes and groaned in frustration. "Damon-"
With a growl, Damon surged forward until he had Elena pinned between him and the wall by the bathroom door. "Stop. That."
"Stop what?" she asked, trying to get her breathing under control.
"Saying my name like that."
"I can't help it!" she hissed, trying to get out of his hold. Instead, she ended up trapping herself even more. "Damn it, Damon, back up!" she demanded.
"Tell me about your feelings for me."
"It doesn't matter. I'm with Stefan."
He shook her shoulders and leaned in closer to her. "You jumped through fire to save me."
"Oh please, those flames weren't that high," she argued and shoved at him again. "I saved you because I care about you as a friend. I couldn't let Bonnie kill you. She would never have forgiven herself. Not because it was you, but because she had killed."
"Bull shit."
Elena groaned in frustration and dug her nails into his biceps, trying everything she could think of to dislodge him. "I didn't want you to die, Damon. I told you I care about you, what more do you want me to say?"
The pleading tone of her voice broke through to him. His eyes widened as he realized he was borderline forcing himself upon her. He stepped back and held his hands up in surrender. "I don't know," he answered softly, raking his hand through his hair.
Elena pulled at her clothes and crossed her arms over her chest again. "You should go."
Damon cringed at the coldness in her voice. "I'm sorry."
"Are you?" she asked, holding his gaze.
"Yes," he answered and sat on the edge of her bed. He bent forward to rest his head in his hands, his elbows on his thighs. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me, not attack you."
Elena let the truth of the words settle in before she moved to sit next to him. "I feel something for you, Damon. There's no denying it after a kiss like that, but I'm with Stefan. At the risk of repeating myself, I only want your friendship. I will push you away if I have to. Don't make me regret being your friend."
They sat in silence for a long while before Damon spoke again. "Katherine came to see me last night before she left."
"Before or after you came here?"
"Before." That answer told her everything. Elena brought her hand up and rested it on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "She told me that she came back for Stefan; that she never loved me at all."
"Damon, she only said that because she knew it would make you do something you'd regret. She's playing with you. You can't believe anything that comes out of her mouth."
Elena froze as he lifted his head to look at her. "She may have manipulated and played games, but lying was something she never did. It was yet another thing we had in common." Her nearness was getting to him, causing him to get to his feet and go for the bottle once more.
"I'm asking you not to believe her."
"Why?"
"Because it's tearing you apart and I hate seeing you like this."
A smirk touched his lips. "You're afraid."
"Of course I'm afraid. You were bloodthirsty and hell bent on revenge when you came here and now that Katherine's said that to you, it's like you reverted to your old self again." Elena cleared her throat and continued with the part that frightened her the most. "And if your anger is directed at Katherine for wanting Stefan, I'm afraid that you're going to confuse me for her."
Faster than she could blink, Damon had her on her feet and in his arms. He noticed that she was rigid and he felt her heart skip a beat. Elena swallowed thickly as his arms tightened around her. Strangely, she felt secure; like she had in the dream. "I'm not going to confuse you for her."
"You thought she was me," she reminded him softly.
His arms tightened again. If they moved any more, he would be cutting off her air supply. He couldn't think of anything to say to her because it was true. He wanted so desperately to tell Elena how he felt that he had ignored the warning signs telling him that something wasn't right. He stepped back and cupped her face, tipping it up slightly so her brown eyes could lock with his blue ones. "I promise I will never lash out at you nor will I mistake you for Katherine."
Elena could only stare at him. Being with him was like being caught in a tornado. One minute, he could be angry and trying to rip your throat out and the next he was sweet and gentle. Right now, all she could feel was the loss of his arms around her. It bothered her, that she could feel so safe in his arms when most of her problems in town were because of him. She wanted him as a friend, but there was something in her that wanted...more.
As they continued to stare at each other, Damon felt himself leaning in slowly. He took his time, not wanting to scare her off. To his delight, she remained before him. Their lips met, sending a spark down both of their spines. Damon waited to see if she would pull away. Instead, Elena parted her lips and initiated the kiss. His hold on her face tightened slightly, enough to draw her in closer. That turned the spark into a raging fire. Elena wrapped her arms around his neck, sinking her fingers into his hair as she returned his kiss; holding nothing back.
As Damon took one step towards her bed, her bathroom door opened and the sound of Jeremy's voice broke them apart. "Elena? What the hell is going on?"
Damon glared at the younger Gilbert. First he had tried to poison him and now he had interrupted what could have been a very good morning. "You're really starting to get on my nerves, Kid."
As Elena moved towards Jeremy, he could tell that if he hadn't interrupted, Elena would have gone mad over what she had done. "Next time, I won't warn you."
"What are you talking about?" Elena asked, looking back and forth between them.
Damon grabbed the bottle of scotch from the dresser and took a long drink. "Thanks again, Elena." Before she could say anything else, he was gone.
Jeremy turned towards Elena but she held up her hand. "Don't ask me anything, but promise me that you won't tell anyone what you saw."
He nodded, hearing the desperation in her voice. "I heard you talking and then there was nothing. I thought he was hurting you."
Elena stepped forward to hug him. "Thank you, Jer." She stepped back and smiled at him. "We'll talk about things later. Right now, I want to go back to bed."
Jeremy nodded and went back to his room through the bathroom. Exhausted, Elena climbed back into bed without changing back into her pajamas. Before she knew it, she was asleep, unable to think of anything but the kiss.