Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.

Note: Okay, it's been a while, so I thought I'd update "Cat and Mouse." I appreciate the feedback on Chapter 6. You rock! When we last left everyone, Damon and Elena have a wild night of passion in Elena's bed. No spoilers, except the action in this chapter takes place after Damon leaves.

Elena's Bedroom – Shortly After Damon's Departure

Elena groaned as she woke up and slowly sat up in bed. She wanted to think of what just happened earlier as a dream, but the soreness she felt between her legs told her it was quite real. She actually did have sex with Damon Salvatore, the serial killer that she was supposed to catch. At least, that's what her head was telling her. Her heart, however, seemed to disagree. It was telling her that it was worth pursuing a relationship with him.

Speaking of Damon, Elena looked over and saw that his side was empty. He must've left after their little romp. But, still, he proved to be an excellent lover and he seemed to really care for her, or else he wouldn't have placed that tracking device on her so that he could save her from his partner.

Sighing, Elena placed her hand over her heart and said, "Damon." Then, as if on cue, she became to fantasize about him still being in this bed with her, kissing her and caressing her. Suddenly, she was startled out of her fantasy by a knock at her bedroom door. Looking at the clock, she saw it was 10:30. Caroline said that she'd be home by that time, so she was probably home now.

Slowly climbing out of bed and throwing on her robe, Elena opened the door and sure enough, there was Caroline, smiling at her. She looked exhausted and for good reason. No doubt the District Attorney's office was up to their asses in paper work.

Returning her friend's smile, she said, "Tough night?"

"Oh, yeah, really tough," the blond woman replied. "That paper work kicked my ass and I'm looking forward to getting some sleep."

"Good idea," said Elena. "You definitely look like you're about to collapse. Go on, we'll talk in the morning."

Caroline nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. Good night, Elena."

"Good night, Caroline."

Once her friend left to go to her own bedroom, Elena shut the door and sighed. Looking toward the bed, she missed Damon already. She missed his arms around her and his body pressing against hers, as well as the feel of his hair against her skin as she ran her fingers through it and how incredibly sexy his blue eyes were.

She only hoped that she could get to be with him like that again, because she found herself craving him, even though she knew it was wrong.

Damon's HQ – That Same Moment...

Damon carefully walked into his hideout upon returning from Elena's apartment. He licked his lips and could still taste her. He wanted to go back to her and make love to her again and again. The feel of her body against his was the most wonderful experience he ever felt and he wanted to just bask in her radiant beauty forever.

"Where did you wander off to?"

Klaus' voice brought Damon out of his reverie and he scowled at his partner. His first instinct was to tell him to piss off, but that would've been juvenile and uncalled for, so he decided against it. Instead, he thought up a lie that he hoped he'd believe.

"Nowhere special," he replied. "Just out for a walk. It was a beautiful night tonight and I didn't feel like sitting around here doing nothing."

"I see," said Klaus. "If you were 'just out for a walk,' what happened to your clothes?"

That's when Damon remembered he was still shirtless and shoeless. Shit, how was he going to explain that one? Instead of panicking, he said, "Oh, well, I couldn't resist a little swim, so I snuck into this idiot's backyard and did some skinny dipping. Fortunately, though, nobody was home, so I had the whole yard to myself."

As he continued to lie his ass off, Damon studied Klaus' face, hoping that his partner would buy whatever bullshit he was giving him. He couldn't tell him that he went to Elena's, having promised her that he wouldn't tell anyone. And, of course, Damon always kept his promises, no matter what. He loved Elena too much to betray her.

"Really? Well, it sounds like you had fun," said Klaus. "I had some fun myself tonight. I saw Rose perform at the club and afterwards, we went for dinner and dancing. We had a glorious night together, she and I. Made me think about how much fun Detective Gilbert would be. She's an exquisite work of art."

Damon felt sick listening to this. He resisted the urge to tell him to stop talking about Elena that way, afraid that he'd break his promise to her if he said anything. As much as he didn't like it, he had to keep quiet.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Well, I think I'm going to head up to my room and go to bed. All that swimming took a lot out of me."

Not giving Klaus a chance to reply, Damon went to his room and shut the door, letting out a sigh of relief. He bought it. The asshole bought it. He came up with the perfect lie and Klaus fell for it. He knew it would be a matter of time before he discovered the truth, but for the time being, Damon took comfort in the fact that he was able to cover his tracks.

He headed into his bathroom to get into more comfortable clothes for sleeping. He'd probably not do much of it, since he was still recovering from that wonderful round of sex he and Elena had. Looking toward his bed, he pictured her there, naked and waiting for him to come to bed so that she could take him in her arms and love him.

"Soon, amore mia," he whispered to himself. "Soon. Just give me some time and once I take care of Klaus, we can truly be together."

Note: I know this isn't quite as long as Chapter 5 of "Downward Spiral," but it was definitely worth the wait. It's after midnight where I am and I'm getting a little tired. Oh well, here's Chapter 7 of "Cat and Mouse."

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