Warning: This Chapter Contains Sexual Content

Chapter Twenty Eight

Ella had explained to Jeremy every details of her dream, only pausing when it came to the part when he showed up. Remembering sent a flash of heat through her veins and she knew that she must have been blushing scarlet. Jeremy looked down at her, where she still sat on his lap, curled into his chest, with a raised eyebrow.

"You're blushing?" he asked, surprised.

"No," Ella shook her head, trying to hide her face with her hair. Jeremy wouldn't allow her to hide; he hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her face so that she was looking into his eyes.

"Why are you blushing?" he asked. His eyes were so warm and filled with love and concern for her that Ella felt herself answering his question.

"You called me your girlfriend," she whispered, hiding her face again as another blush heated her cheeks. "In the…dream or vision…whatever it was. When you saw Jamie grab me, you told him to take his hands off your girlfriend."

Jeremy laughed, shocking Ella. She looked up at him, a look of pain twisting her features. "I'm sorry," he chocked out when he saw her expression. "I'm not laughing at the idea of you being my girlfriend. It's just well…I think it's adorable that you're blushing. Ella you are my girlfriend."

"I wasn't sure…" she stammered, the words making her happier than she had ever felt before. "We never…discussed…what we…what we were now. I wasn't…sure."

Chuckling again, Jeremy pulled her close to his chest again. "I love you," he told her. "Why wouldn't I want you to be my girlfriend?"

Ella shrugged lamely. "I've never done this before. I didn't know how it worked."

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked.

"Of course," she exclaimed as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "I love you."

"Good, now that we have that settled," he smiled briefly before his expression turned serious. "Why don't you tell me why you were so upset? What happened in your vision that was so terrible?"

Ella fell silent, starting at Jeremy's chest where his collar ended and the smooth expanse of his throat began. Right now the muscles there were stretched tight, he was tense and it was because of her. She wanted to reach out and smooth his skin, soothe him, but she didn't.

"He was so angry," she continued her story, her voice barely above a whispered. "I could feel it, it pumped through my veins, making me angry, fuelling my strength. Then when you tried to get him to let me go he hit you and I snapped…"

"You were angry, he hurt someone you love, it's perfectly acceptable for you to protect them."

"You don't understand…" Ella cried, tears flowing down her cheeks again. "Jeremy I didn't just snap and punch him. I…"

"What Ella? What did you do?"

Ella couldn't answer, she was sobbing hard again as the memory of what she had done, or was going to do to Jamie played through her mind. Jeremy pulled her close again, cradling her against his chest and rocking her gently, her head tucked into his neck under his chin.

It was several minutes before Ella's sobbing calmed again; she pulled a few ragged breaths through her mouth and extracted herself from Jeremy's embrace. Getting to her feet she walked over to the windows and looked out to the empty street. She could feel his gaze boring into her back, feel his pain, confusion and fear, but he wasn't scared of her, he was afraid for her.

The words failed her, the words that would cause his fear to change. Would he fear her when she told him what she was capable of? Would he leave her? Leave her a hollow, empty shell. Would he think of her as a monster if she told him that she was going to murder another human being?

"I killed him Jeremy," she whispered to the emptiness, wrapping her arms around her middle and holding herself together. "I saw what he did to you and the rage took over, I reached out as if it were the easiest thing in the world and I snapped his neck as if it were a twig."

A heavy silence filled the room then; neither of them spoke, or moved or even breathed too loudly. Ella was terrified, routed to the spot, staring out at the darkness. She couldn't make herself turn to look at his face, couldn't force herself to see the anguish she knew he was feeling, the pain of realising that the girl he loved was nothing more than a cold blooded killer.

The seconds ticked by and still they remained still and silent. Ella focused on herself, shutting out Jeremy's feelings, unable to take what she could sense there a second longer. She could feel the cold again, creeping through her veins and she was afraid that if Jeremy left this time there would be no going back.

She was just contemplating running out of the room and away from the deafening silence when she heard him move. The couch creaked slightly as he got to his feet, three footsteps to where she was standing and then she was in his arms. He pulled her against him, pressing their bodies together, and kissed her hair.

"You're…not afraid?" she asked in a breathy whisper.

"Afraid? Of you?" he demanded, sounding almost angry. "Never, you are the sweetest person I have ever met Ella."

"I'm a monster."

"You're not, it was his anger that did that to you, and I promise you I won't let that happen to you. We'll drive to school together, even if we have to get Elena and Caroline as well, we won't let him hurt you like that. I won't let him turn you into a killer, I swear it."

Ella laughed humourlessly. "I murder someone and you think you have to save me from him?"

"You didn't murder anyone," Jeremy growled, glaring down at her.

"Yet," Ella stated simply. "I haven't murdered anyone yet."

"And you won't."

"You can't know that Jeremy," Ella sighed, looking away. "We don't know how these visions work, we don't know if we can stop it or if knowing about it will just put off the inevitable. Maybe it's fate, unstoppable."

"I don't believe that," Jeremy shook his head. "What's the point of these visions if you can't stop what they show you from happening? Maybe that's why you saw what you did, so that you can stop it. Dammit Ella you're not a killer!"

Ella didn't know what came over her, but as she looked up at Jeremy, at the sincerity and determination plain on his handsome features, she felt an urge she had never felt before in her young life, not until she had met Jeremy. Without stopping to think about what she was doing, Ella had wrapped her arms around Jeremy's neck, pulling herself up and against him.

Jeremy's eyes widened in shock when Ella's lips captured his own. He stood frozen to the spot for a moment before he relaxed and kissed her back. The kiss was tentative, sweet and slow. Ella gave a soft sigh as Jeremy's tongue swept along her bottom lip and she felt her mouth open slightly.

Taking her parted lips as an invitation Jeremy deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Ella moaned as their tongues fought for dominance and she pulled herself closer to Jeremy. It wasn't until she felt something against her leg that she pulled away panting, her eyes wide and her cheeks flaming. She buried her face in his chest to avoid looking at him, completely shocked that she had been able to provoke that kind of reaction in a man.

"Wow," Jeremy breathed, resting his forehead against her hair.

"Yeah," Ella sighed. She could still feel Jeremy against her thigh and it was causing a reaction in her that she had never felt before, a feeling that was more surprising than Jeremy's reaction to their kissing.

A passionate heat was curling in her stomach and spreading through her veins, and she felt that she wanted nothing more than to drag Jeremy up to her room and rip his clothes away. Unspeakable and surprisingly dirty thoughts were running through her mind and her pulse quickened again, heart hammering against her chest and the heat that had started in her stomach spread lower still.

"Jeremy," she moaned, looking up into his dark eyes. His pupils were blown wide and his lips parted at the sound of his name.

Ella couldn't stop herself and she captured his lips once more. This kiss wasn't as soft and slow as before, it was wild and passionate and she felt like she was going to spontaneously combust. Jeremy pulled her hard against him, a guttural moan escaping his lips.

"Ella," he growled against her mouth and Ella could hear the desire there. "Oh god I want you."

Heart hammering, Ella paused for half a second then grabbed Jeremy's hand and pulled him from the living room and up the stairs to her room. The seconds they were over the threshold the kissing continued with wild abandon.

Clothes were strewn across the room, and the couple tumbled back onto the bed, laughing breathlessly. Jeremy pulled Ella against his side, shifting so that he was looking down into her eyes. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her for a mere second before pulling away. His eyes were clouded with desire, but there was something else there, he looked torn.

"Jeremy?"

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Are you sure this is what you want? I don't want to rush you."

"Jer, baby, I'm lying naked in your arms," Ella smiled gently up at him. "I think it's obvious that I want this as much as you do."

His answering smile took Ella's breath away and she reached up to him, pulling him down to her. Her lips were soft against his, gentle and urging and making sure that he balanced all of his weight on his arms so that he wouldn't hurt her, Jeremy rolled on top of her.

Their kissed picked up pace, reaching a fever pitch and Ella moaned, her hips pushing up against Jeremy insistently. He smiled against her lips, lowering himself until he hovered barely inches from her. Ella moaned again and her back arched beneath him impatiently.

"Oh!" Ella gasped as at last Jeremy complied with her need and she felt him enter her.

It was everything she had hoped for and more as they started a steady rhythm. It hurt a little at first and she imagined that was why Jeremy was being gentle and slow with her. After a few moments the pain subsided and Ella became impatient again, wrapping her legs around his waist she flipped the pair with ease, using her supernatural strength.

Picking up the pace it wasn't long before they both reached a crescendo and fell over the edge together. There was a lot of panting and calling out names as they crashed back against the pillows together, their chests heaving, bodies coated in a light sheen of sweat.

"I love you," Jeremy smiled brilliantly, pulling her into his arms so that she snuggled against his chest.

"I love you too," Ella responded, her smile just as bright. "Always."

TBC…