Chapter 21: All I Need

"Can you still see the heart of me?
All my agony fades away
When you hold me in your embrace
Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe." –Within Temptation

The silent whispers of the midnight air flowed into Elena's mind and slowly roused her from the deep slumber she had fallen into after she had entered the woods only a short time before. She took in a long deep breath and sank slightly deeper into the lush blankets that cradled her body and in an instant she knew exactly where she was. Elena felt a small smile twist onto her lips and without opening her eyes she found him in the room only a few feet away from her. His beautiful scent of vanilla and bourbon filled her nostrils and overtook her senses in a second and the power of his presence made her pained body feel even weaker than before. Slowly, and incredibly carefully, Elena rolled onto her side and opened her heavy lidded eyes as she allowed her head to continue to rest on the overstuffed pillow beneath her. Her smile widened as she saw his relaxed form lounging in the chair next to the door of his bedroom and she took in one more shaky breath as she felt her heart jump up a few beats in her fragile but longing chest.

It was no secret that Damon Salvatore was a beautiful man. Even to call him beautiful seemed to be an understatement and even possibly an insult. Since the day that Elena had met him, she had never seemed to be able to quite put into words the sheer power of who Damon really was or express the breath taking vision of him that often left her heart pounding painfully hard in her chest. Damon was a mystery to her, a beautiful embodiment of everything she loved, hated, longed for, and feared more than anything in this world. Damon was…well Damon and in being that, he was everything.

Elena narrowed her eyes, as she tried to bring Damon's frame into focus, but something about her vision that night made it hard to completely see him. She noticed that he was wearing all black, but instead of his usual dark jeans and button down shirt, he had opted for a dark black T-shirt and a pair of equally dark pajama pants. Damon's head was resting heavily on his hand as he leaned back in the armchair and he seemed more exhausted than she had seen him in quite some time. She tried to focus her eyes to make out his expression more clearly, but the dimly lit room made it hard for her to fully see his immaculate features. One thing, despite her wary vision, could not be blurred that night as she stared across the room at him. It was the pair of beautiful crystal blue eyes that were now locked with hers; awaiting the words that now seemed trapped in her throat.

"What am I doing in bed? How did I get here? I was in the woods…Klaus was there…you and Stefan…what is going on?" Elena mumbled as she tried to push herself up to sit, but felt the weight of her body hold her down even tighter to the lush blankets that cradled her.

"Don't try to move Elena…you are weak and I need you to get as strong as you can right now." Damon whispered as he pushed himself up from the chair he had been sitting in and began to move closer to her. Elena shook her head and looked up at him still in a state of confusion.

"What am I doing in your bedroom, Damon? What happened?" Elena asked as she continued to try to find reason in the events leading up to this point in her evening.

"I know this is going to sound confusing, but you need to listen to me Elena. Right now you are asleep and have been for nearly twenty-four hours. Once Klaus got ahold of you, he took you to an old warehouse on the edge of town and he has been draining you of blood as fast as he can. He doesn't care anymore if you live or die, at this point he is willing to do anything to make more of those hybrid bastards and unless we play this perfectly, we are going to lose…badly." Damon whispered in a calm but serious voice as he finally sat down on the bed next to her. Elena stared up at him and tried to sort through what he had just said while also trying to ignore her want to reach out for him to touch him…even just once.

"So this is a dream? How did you get into my dream?" She asked as she stared at him. Damon smirked as he reached over and brushed one of her chocolate brown locks away from her face and then tucked it behind her ear.

"Elena, you haven't worn Vervain since the night that I first came to you in your dream. I was able to get into your head because of that. I would never take advantage of you, but there are some things you need to know and this is the only way for me to tell you and keep you safe at the same time." He said as he studied her expression. Elena swallowed hard in her throat as she tried to keep her composure after feeling Damon's cool fingertips against her warm skin. She knew why she hadn't worn the Vervain in the past month; Damon definitely didn't need to point that out to her. She had been waiting for him, every night she had prayed for him to come back to her and in moments such as these she knew why she would never touch that herb ever again.

"What exactly do I need to know?" She asked as she finally found the strength to move slightly closer to where Damon sat. Damon smiled and leaned down and touched his hand to the warm skin of Elena's cheek once again. Elena's breathing immediately picked up and she tried to control her heart, but no matter what her mind was telling her to do at that point, her heart was not listening and she felt herself slightly losing control. Damon let out a sigh and then looked down at met her curious and confused eyes once again.

"You need to know that you are weak, very weak. Klaus has been taking blood from you quickly and frequently and you are fading fast and have been since that night. I tried to get to you as soon as I could and as soon as I got loose from Stefan I went searching for you. I followed your scent into the woods and then I caught wind of Klaus. I followed your scent through town and finally found the two of you in the warehouse." He started as he began to twist his fingers angrily in the blankets that surrounded them.

"And then what happened?" Elena asked as if she were a child being told some sort of sadistic bedtime story. Damon smiled and shook his head.

"Well then, I was stupid. I saw you…I saw you lying on the cold cement floor, with the tubes coming out of your arms and I felt as if I were capable of killing a thousand hybrid fucks. I quickly ran over to you and pulled you loose and pulled you up into my arms…but then." He stopped as he shook his head as if somehow still mentally beating himself up over whatever had transpired next.

"Tell me Damon, please." Elena whispered as she slid her hand out over the covers and touched her warm hand to his cool fingers. Damon squeezed her hand slightly and then raised his icy blue eyes back to hers.

"Just as I had you in my arms, Klaus came from behind me and suddenly my plan was over. Now he has me shot up with Vervain and he is starving me. He thinks that if he keeps me weak enough that he can just run away with you and use you as bait until he gets everything that he wants. See, that was Klaus' plan all along. He knows how to get into that coffin now and Stefan got the key from me when I went looking for you, so what I have worked a year for he now has. He might care about the coffin with his mother inside, but he cares more about creating his hybrids and he is trying to kill off those of us that love you, so that he can leave with you, continue to breed his bastard race and then never come back." Damon said slowly as he gritted his teeth. Elena felt a mixture between sadness and fear run through her as she watched the expression on Damon's face.

"Just tell me what to do Damon and I'll do it. No one is dying tonight, no one. We'll get Bonnie, we will fight him; this isn't over." Elena said with a small ounce of confidence once again flowing in her voice. Damon smiled and nodded, but even in his smile she saw sarcasm and doubt.

"Bonnie knows and we are trying, but Elena the most important thing for you to remember is that no matter what, when you wake up and you have the chance you run, okay? You just run. You don't look back; you don't care about me or Stefan or anyone; you just run. Do you understand me?" Damon asked as his eyes firmly locked with hers and he gripped her hand slightly tighter in his. Elena stared into his eyes and swallowed back tears that already threatened to escape at the thought of Damon lying somewhere hurt while she simply ran away in fear.

"Damon, I…" Elena started, but Damon stopped her as he pulled her closer to him.

"Run Elena. Do you understand me?" He asked again, only this time his question came out as more of an order than anything else. Slowly, Elena looked down at the blankets and then weakly nodded her head.

Damon smiled weakly and then nodded his head as well as he acknowledged the necessary but painful agreement between them. Slowly, he pulled his hand away from hers and began to push himself up from the bed. Elena felt panic begin to immediately rush through her body as she felt the night air rush between them and quickly reached out to try to stop him.

"Please don't leave." She whispered softly as she looked up and stared into his cobalt blue eyes in almost a plea for even one more minute with him. Damon knelt down beside the bed and smiled as he took her hand in his once again.

"Elena, I will never leave you again, but I can't stay in your head much longer. It takes an incredible amount of strength to do this and I haven't fed in…too long. The Vervain isn't as big of a deal as Klaus thinks because I have been drinking it and building up a tolerance, but it still weakens me. If I stay too much longer, I won't be able to get you out of there alive and that is far more important to me than any dream between us." He said as he rubbed his fingers over the top of her hand in a soothing motion. Elena nodded as she once again fought tears that were now nearing the edges of her chocolate brown eyes.

"I understand, I really do. But, can I have just a few more minutes. If you just lay with me and don't move or talk…can you stay just a little bit longer?" She asked as she stared at him still holding a tight grip on his hand. Damon tilted his head as he stared at her. He couldn't believe what an odd chain of events this past year had held for them. Just a little over a year ago, she was his brother's girl and they were having sex so that she could be better for him. Now, as he stood at the edge of the bed, she was staring at him and begging him to stay with her for just a short while longer, no matter what the cost. She wasn't begging him because she needed him to get closer to Stefan, no this time Elena was begging him because she wanted to be closer to him and that was something he wasn't sure if he would ever truly understand.

"I've got a little time." He whispered with a smirk. Elena smiled and slowly moved to make room for him on the bed. Damon sat down on the edge and then moved his body in line with hers and slowly laid down beside her.

The instant that Elena felt Damon's body close to hers, she suddenly felt as if the world around them had fallen away. Klaus was gone; they were safe and all that mattered was that moment in his bed under those soft onyx sheets. Elena looked up and finally locked her gaze with the beautiful blue eyes that stared back at her. Slowly, she reached out her hand and placed it just at the top of Damon's pajama pants. She kept her eyes locked on his as she slowly slid her hands up under the thin soft material of his T-shirt and traced her fingers over every muscle of his stomach and chest as she pushed the shirt up his torso and eventually over his head. Damon shifted his body closer to her and reached his cool fingers out and slid them down the soft curve of her jaw.

"I don't have enough strength for…" He started and Elena fought a smile when she realized that the words he was about to say were probably the hardest words that Damon Salvatore would ever have to utter in his life, so she quickly raised her finger to his lips and shook her head.

"Just relax." She said softly. Damon stared at her in confusion, but didn't protest her request. He simply laid his head back down on the pillow below him and kept his eyes locked on hers.

Elena's hand moved over to Damon's hand that rested on the blanket between them and slowly she slid her fingers over his. She traced the hard contours of his knuckles, and then she moved up the tangled muscles of his forearm and bicep and eventually glided her fingers over the smooth skin that covered his collarbone. Damon took in a deep breath and Elena smiled as she let her fingers drift down the center of his chest.

"I have had this dream every night for the past year." She whispered as she continued to trail her fingers down his chest and to the defined muscles of his stomach. Damon tilted his head as he watched her.

"This? Really? I thought you were more creative than that, Elena. My dreams were much more graphic than this." He said with a smile as he watched her. Elena smiled softly as she slid her fingers down to the top of his pants once again. Damon watched her carefully, but kept his body still.

"Touching you Damon…that is all I have wanted for the entire year you've been gone. Just to feel you…to really feel you, that is all I've wanted." She whispered with emotion dripping from her every word. The smile on Damon's face faded quickly as he slowly reached out and lifted her chin so her eyes met his.

"There was never a day that I didn't hate myself for leaving you here and never a night when you didn't torment my mind. I thought I was doing what was necessary to keep you safe and to get rid of Klaus for good, but I was wrong. I am so sorry Elena." He whispered as he stared at her. Elena nodded as she felt her tears begin to spill down her cheeks. Damon let out a sigh and moved his arm closer to her and pulled her into his embrace. Elena knew in that moment his restraint, was far better trained than hers.

As soon as Elena's body was pressed against Damon's it felt as if her heart exploded in her chest. The smell of his body, the feel of his skin against hers and the pressure of his strength surrounding her made her lose control of everything that she had been trying to hide from him. The second their bodies collided Elena's body surged with need. She began trailing open mouth kissed down his neck, over his collarbone, down his chest and finally down his stomach. She moved to tug open his pants, but finally she felt Damon's arms wrap around hers and slowly pull her back up to him. She stared at him with red lips in confusion as she tried to catch her breath and calm her rampant heart beat.

"Elena, we will have all the time in the world for this once we are out of this mess. Please, just remember what I told you. Run." He whispered. Elena shook her head, she knew he was trying to disappear on her and she was not having that, not yet, not now.

"Kiss me." She said quickly as she tightened her grip on him. Damon stared at her, but did not say a word.

"I understand you have to go and I am not trying to make you weak, just one kiss. Kiss me so I can remember what I am fighting for, please Damon." She begged as she pulled her body closer to his. Damon stared at her and suddenly, she saw his restraint snap and fall to the ground.

Damon's mouth crashed against Elena's and in an instant the room began to spin around her. He kissed her hard and hungrily as his full lips wrapped around hers and sucked at her mouth as if he was feeding from her. His tongue pushed roughly through her lips and slowly but powerfully laved over the contours of her mouth and rubbed seductively against her tongue. His mouth was wet, his lips were hot and his passion was burning. Elena felt Damon's hand tangle in her hair and pull her closer to him and she couldn't help but run her hands up the length of his torso and wrap her hands around his neck pulling him to her as well. They pulled, they pushed and they crumbled. They gave into every passionate want and need they had been holding back for over a year, but deep inside they both knew that it wouldn't last forever.

"Ahhh…" Elena moaned in pain as she slowly pulled away from Damon's hypnotizing kiss. Damon stared at her in confusion as he watched Elena drop down lower onto the bed and clutch her arm.

"Mmmm….God it hurts….what the hell is going on?" She asked as she rubbed her arm and gritted her teeth, but only felt the pain worsen. Damon stared at her and quickly moved his hands to her face.

"Everything is going to be okay, remember. Just run." He said in a stern tone. Elena stared into his blue eyes as she felt her arm burn with a fiery pain and tried to nod her head, but it was too late. Soon the room around her was fading to dark and everything was beginning to spin away from her.

"Damon…" Elena cried as she felt herself falling.

"Run…" Were the only words she heard before she hit the pavement and crashed back into reality.

Elena's eyes slowly fluttered open to the sound of water dripping against the cold metal roof of the building that now encaged her. She looked around in the darkness, but couldn't make out anything familiar around her. She knew she was in a warehouse and she knew that both Damon and Klaus were nearby somewhere. The question she had right now, was where each of them were, how badly Damon was hurt and where in all of this mess was Stefan?

"Ah, Elena my love. I was wondering if you were ever going to wake. I have a surprise for you sweetheart." Klaus' voice boomed into Elena's ears from only a few feet away. Elena slowly raised her head and saw the golden haired man standing just in front of her with his terrifying blue eyes staring down at her.

"What do you want Klaus? Just tell me what you want." Elena moaned as she felt pain continue to rocket through her body. Klaus laughed low in his chest as he moved closer to her.

"Ah now Elena what I want is not really the question here, is it? The real question is what do you want?" Klaus asked in a menacing tone as he looked toward the floor and suddenly Elena felt fear move over her and her skin break out in a cold sweat. She looked to the left of Klaus where he suddenly kicked Damon's limp body into the dim lighting. Damon was bruised, bloody and looked more weak and pale than the night he almost died from Tyler's bite. Elena felt her heart tighten in her chest at the sight of him in such pain and immediately she wanted to run to him, but she was stopped when she saw Klaus move yet again.

A moment later Klaus kicked another body from his right side and suddenly Elena felt her body freeze in place. She stared between the two bloodied men that lay only a few feet from her and felt chills move through her entire body. Before her lay the two men that over the past two years she had both loved and hated with more passion than she ever thought one person could feel. Before her lay The Salvatore Brothers…both of them and they were barely alive.

"I guess I should rephrase that love…Who is it that you want? You get to choose one or the other one my sweet. You get to pick your prince charming, but the one you leave behind…well let's just say he won't be getting a happy ending." Klaus said with a laugh and then stared down at her with his evil blue eyes and awaited her impossible decision. Elena stared at the two men lying before her and realized that no matter what Damon had begged of her in her dream, running, was never going to be an option.

Please read and review. I'm back again everyone! What did you think of this chapter? Don't worry there will be some smut coming VERY soon, but I figured I should take care of the plot first lol. This story is winding down so only about two more chapters at most and then I will be immediately starting the sequel. You will realize by the end of this story why a sequel is necessary. Please stick with me and let me know what you think. Please read and review and click the button below. Your reviews inspire me. Thanks for reading…click click