A/N Special thanks to my beta Cdaye8184 ;) Thanks for beta-ing this xxx
Thank you, readers, for the nice reviews you've been giving-I'm receiving around 18 reviews per chapter and it's not something very common to me so THANK YOU and please keep them coming :)
It was a cold night even though it had to be autumn. Elena was sipping a glass of red wine in the front balcony, watching the stars. He had actually allowed her to use the balcony, and even though she didn't admit it, the thought made her happy. The scenery outside was beautiful, there was green grass everywhere and the sky was clear, the stars looking bright. The night…it amazed her and scared her at the same time. It was during the night that her parents died. It was during the night that Damon kidnapped her. But at the same time, she still thought that the night was a beautiful thing. A mysterious thing, since nobody knew what was waiting for them out there. Just like him. As the trees lightly danced with the wind, Elena closed her eyes, feeling the soft breeze on her face and she just imagined that everything was okay. But everything was not okay, and the saddest thing was that she wasn't even blaming Damon anymore.
It was true, he kidnapped her and took her freedom away from her. Despite his gentleness, he was still her captor and she was still his prisoner. She still couldn't go out wherever she pleased, and she still couldn't see her family. But at the same time, she couldn't blame him, because her life was already screwed up before he came into the picture and it wasn't his fault. It scared her, but somehow she thought that maybe it was better there, locked away from society. Somehow, sometimes she let herself think of the mansion not as a cold prison but a safe heaven. More or less, it was a place to escape her horrible reality and even though this reality was equally horrible, it was different. It was a change of scenery, of people and a different way of living. And Elena kind of liked the change, as twisted as that may sound.
Damon watched her every movement from the shadows. He saw the way she closed her eyes, welcoming the gentle breeze that gently caressed her hair. He felt the great desire to be the one to caress and hold her. It was such a human thing to feel, such a disgusting thing to stoop so low. But he didn't care, he simply wanted to touch her, to feel her warmth against his cool body. He continued to study her as she walked around, drinking the wine he had offered her, her white nightgown long enough to reach just above her feet. Damn she was beautiful, and he was becoming confused about her more and more each time he saw her. He was confused because he didn't know if he even cared about her or not…He was completely lost in his vampirism, and he just couldn't tell the difference anymore about pure concern or possessiveness, a trait vampires had magnified greatly. One thing he knew for sure was that he would not kill her, or maybe even harm her. He liked to think of her as a delicate flower, a flower which could be easily torn if he was too rough with. Yes, that's what she was-Elena was a rose among weeds, a rose which was yet to blossom if he gave it time. And someday, he would pick up that rose, dark as his soul, and drink in its heavenly scent.
He was broken out of his inner musings when he heard the balcony door closing, indicating that she was going to bed. He stood there for a little while, unable to either move or think. A few minutes later, he heard soft snoring, and he ascended up the stairs slowly. What he saw before him was breathtaking. He found her curled up in sheets, her wine glass on the nightstand. As he focused on her face, he was shocked to find out that she was actually smiling. He had never seen her smile in her sleep, usually her dreams were all filled with pain and trouble.
Unable to resist any longer, Damon placed a kiss on her forehead, and allowed himself to get inside her head, just to see what she was dreaming about. He was shocked when he found out that the dream making her smile was about him. She was dreaming about him, and it wasn't a nightmare. She was dreaming that they were in a place-The Falls, yes, the place he had taken her to. In her dream, he was holding her, and she was talking to him about her life, her secrets. In her dream, he could hold and kiss her, and make her laugh too. Oh how he wished that her dream was real... that he could actually do these things to her...
He sighed, snapping out of it and he licked his dry lips. What was this girl? Why was she bringing out feelings in him which were supposed to be dead along with the human and gentle Damon?
He stepped out of her room. It would take several shots of Bourbon to help him that night.
"You're so beautiful, Katherine," He pressed her up against the nearest wall, kissing every inch of her now bare skin. "Say it, say you're mine," He pleaded desperately. "Am I not good enough for you?"
"Yes, Damon, I'm yours," She panted between hot kisses. "I love you, Damon. I have so many plans for us. Just you and me, Damon."
He woke up startled. How wrong he had been! Katherine was never his. She was always theirs. It was supposed to be him and Katherine, but his little brother claimed her as well. He never truly had her. And after her death, Damon couldn't figure out what to do with himself-He had lost her and he had lost his brother as well. He had been determined to do everything in his power to free her, and Elena was supposed to be the bargaining chip. But to be honest with himself, Katherine was maybe just an obsession. It had been so long since he loved someone, and it made him think if it was really love that he had with Katherine. Maybe it was just an obsession; he had spent over a hundred years searching for a way to get her back. Maybe if he did get her back, it would just be success and satisfactory. Damon knew perfectly well that it won't, however, satisfy his heart's needs. He didn't even know if he wanted to love her anymore.
Elena, on the other hand, was different. He wasn't willing to open up to her, but he was not willing to risk her life for Katherine's. At least not yet, because Elena was a companion in his life, a mysterious, delicate creature he had yet to figure out. Even if he did find Katherine he would still feel alone. Elena, even though she didn't like him or talk to him very much, still made him feel alive. Just waking up and hearing a human heart beating in the house, having warmth and the lovely human scent was enough to actually make him smile, which was rare.
He heard a light cough and he realized that Elena was there. Apparently, he had fallen asleep on the couch, and now Elena was looking at him with her beautiful brown eyes.
"I'm sorry, I just came to get a glass of water," She explained lamely, "And I saw you here." What she didn't tell him was that she found him so adorable in his sleep. He looked so peaceful, so…human.
"It's okay," He said, his head spinning. Apparently, he had drunken too much alcohol. It was still dark. "I wasn't fast asleep."
"Oh, good," She finished nervously, smelling the alcohol off him from where she was. She turned to leave the room, she was never comfortable when he was drunk.
He blurred in front of her, and she jumped back in fright. "Why are you still so afraid of me?" He asked her, moving shakily towards her until he had her pressed up against the wall.
Elena held her breath, her heart starting to beat faster in her chest. "What kind of question is that?"
"I can't understand," He spoke calmly, reaching out to take a lock of her hair in his fingers and he started to play with it, twirling and tugging the loose curls. "What haven't I given you, Elena? What did I do to deserve such unpleasantness?"
"Damon, you're not making any sense," Elena said, trembling. "Please just let me go back to bed."
"No," He growled, pressing his body against hers tightly, causing her to yelp. "I want you, Elena. I want you to be mine."
She gasped when she heard the words escape his mouth. Panic overwhelmed her at that little sentence. "Damon, what are you thinking?"
"I'm tired, Elena," Damon sighed, "I . Want. You. To. Be. Mine," He paused after each word, before he roughly grabbed her face and captured her lips with his in a hungry kiss.
She started to panic and tried to fight him off. "Damon, don't, what's wrong with you? Let go of me. Stop, Damon. You're hurting me!"
"Don't fight me, I know you want it too," Damon said, placing hungry kisses on her neck as he ran his hands down her body. "Don't fight me." He reached out to untie the sash that held the nightgown in place, and he said, "Tell me you want me. Tell me you're mine. I can sense it. I can feel it, just admit to it, Elena. Admit to me."
"Let me go!" Elena yelled, pushing him with all her strength. "Don't ever touch me again!"
She ran upstairs, holding the nightgown tightly against her body as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Damon's back slid down the wall, his face in his hands. He had screwed up. She didn't want him. Now he had scared her, and only God knew what she was thinking about him right now. Scratch that, he knew what she must be thinking. She was obviously thinking that he was trying to force her into sleeping with him. That wasn't what he had planned. What had gotten into him? He knew that she would have reacted poorly to him this early into their encounter. He had just made things worse, a hell of a lot worse. He swore loudly, cursing for having lost control of the situation. He could hear her soft sobs from where he was, and guilt infested itself in his cold heart. He screwed it up, big time.
Mystic Falls
"So is there any evidence of struggle?" Caroline asked her mother, who had just shared this information with her. The blonde's eyes were filled with tears now, knowing that her friend was taken away against her will and was most probably hurt.
"We opened a case about it a few days ago," Sheriff Forbes explained. "There were signs of struggle. She was taken away from the beach."
"Do you have any ideas? Any suspects, anything?" Caroline wept, "You have to help her, mum, she's my best friend…"
"We're doing everything we can, honey," Sheriff Forbes tried to assure her daughter, "But I'm not going to lie to you. Her captor did not leave many tracks. They just disappeared in the thin air. We can't figure it out."
"What do you mean disappeared?" The blonde asked wearily through tears.
"The tracks stopped halfway throughout the beach." Her mother replied, still just as confused as she had been the day Elena was taken.
"Oh my God," Caroline gasped, processing the information.
"You have to be honest with me, now, honey. Did Elena tell you where she was going? If she was meeting someone?" Her mother asked soothingly, trying to get anything, a lead, a clue.
"No, I didn't see her that evening," Caroline said hopelessly shrugging. "We knew that she wasn't into lots of fun stuff because of everything she was going through, and she wasn't going out with us in the evenings."
Her mom nodded. "I'll take care of it, honey. She'll be fine."
"Mom said there were signs of struggle," Caroline explained when she and Bonnie met later on that day.
"Oh my God," Bonnie said, "Jenna must be heartbroken…I don't know what I can do to help…"
"That's why I asked you to meet me," Caroline said hopelessly. "Bonnie, you know what they say about your grandma, her being a witch and all…Do you think that maybe she can help?"
"You're not actually saying that you believe it, don't you?" Bonnie gasped in surprise.
"If Elena's life is at stake, I'm willing to believe anything," Caroline sighed. "You believe her, Bon. And I think that she can help us."
"If my grandma's right, I may also inherit some psychic powers," Bonnie explained. "She doesn't take these things lightly so I'll talk to her. Maybe we can help her."
Elena did not see Damon that much the following day. She didn't want to. He came to wake her up, left her a tray with breakfast and disappeared. It was a better breakfast than usual. Bacon, eggs, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, ham, cheese and crackers and a large glass of milk. It surprised her immensely but when he dropped it off, he didn't even mutter a word. She, on the other hand, ate her breakfast, drank her milk and after a shower, she decided to continue writing the story she had been writing in her journal. She didn't have much to do, so the majority of it was already written. She always wanted to be a writer.
"I'm sorry about what happened last night," She heard a voice whisper, and she whipped her head around to see him leaning against the door. "I was drunk and I…"
"You thought that you could do whatever you pleased with me," Elena snapped angrily.
"I lost control of the situation. I'm sorry, Elena." She calmed down, hearing the sincerity in his voice. "I never meant to force you to do anything. I won't do that," He assured her quickly. "I was drunk."
She nodded, unable to form any words.
"I brought you clothes," He said, attempting to change the subject, handing her a big plastic bag full of clothes.
She peeked, finding the finest and beautiful clothing there. Mostly dresses, she had to admit, he rarely provided her with jeans and trousers. "Thanks," She muttered.
"Let me know if you feel uncomfortable-I can get you a different size." He offered.
"The others fit fine. Small sizes are good." She told him, he knew her surprisingly well when it came to clothes and their size.
"What are you writing?" He suddenly asked her, taking the journal away from her in one swift movement. She tried to take it back but he didn't let her. "I didn't know you had it in you," Damon said, reading the words carefully. "You're a good writer."
"Thank you." Elena shyly replied. He had been the first person to ever read anything she had written and for him to tell her she was good, well she appreciated it.
He gave her the journal back, swallowing loudly. He was thinking about whether or not he should tell her the truth about Klaus and his brother going after her. He wanted to tell her, maybe she could hate him less for keeping her there, but he couldn't form any words, because he was too proud of himself to tell her that he was protecting her. He was afraid that she'll make him her puppet like Katherine did, and then eventually he'd lose her. So instead, he cleared his throat and left the room.
"You know that what your brother is doing is against the law," Klaus stated, sitting on his chair next to Stefan. They were surrounded by human slaves, and Klaus snapped his fingers lightly and in a brief second, a young teenage girl was sitting on his lap, scared about his next move.
"Don't move, darling," He whispered in her ear, before grabbing her face and compelled her to stop squirming. He wrapped his hands around her waist as Stefan watched, his face blank and emotionless. "You see, Stefan, I don't handle doing the dirty work lightly. In fact, I want you to bring me the girl. I shouldn't chase what's mine, after all…Other people should serve me," He almost growled the last part, fury showing up in his features. Unconsciously, his fingers dug in the girl's skin and she yelped. Girls were always the victims when Klaus was mad.
"You know that I only serve you," Stefan said through clenched teeth. "That's a promise I made a long time ago, Klaus. As long as you keep yours," He clarified, looking at him sternly. "You know the reason why I accepted this in the first place."
Stefan's story was a bit complicated. After Katherine's death, his brother left him alone. Unable to cope with the guilt infested in his human heart, he gave it up to vampirism, becoming a great ripper. He was locked in a cycle of unpleasantness, one that he couldn't get out from. He would kill, rip and drink and then he would feel sorry, spend days without blood, and then he'd wake up with hunger worse than before and kill double the amount. And that was his terrible cycle for years, binge and purge so to speak. Becoming a ripper was unacceptable since it would lead the secret vampire hunter parties to Klaus and the only weapon in the world to kill him, so when Klaus sent for Stefan's brother Damon, he gave him an ultimatum: Either they start working for him, or he would kill Stefan. Damon, even though he was beyond mad after Stefan's betrayal, still couldn't let his brother die.
Working for Klaus was not a completely good experience, since vampires who worked with Klaus had more rules and less freedom. What Damon didn't know was that Stefan teamed up with Klaus against his back in search for the doppelganger, and that when Elena stepped in the house, Stefan had every intention in giving her to Klaus. After taking a sample of her blood to Klaus, Klaus realized that she was the Petrova heir and he wanted to make sure that she would be the last Petrova. Unfortunately, when he sent Stefan to deliver the doppelganger, Damon had already fled.
"Yes, of course," Klaus said, "And I intend to keep my promise. When I get my hands on the doppelganger, you'll get Katherine back."
"What are you going to do with the girl once you get her?" Stefan asked, mainly from curiosity.
"That is none of your business, I'm afraid, Stefan," Klaus said unapologetically. "Once you hand in the girl, the girl will be mine. And I intend to do whatever I please with her. You knew what you were signing in for when you said you'll help me get her."
"I didn't mean to pry," Stefan apologized. "Of course. I don't care about the girl."
"Good, that's what I like to hear from my favourite servant," Klaus smirked, and then he turned to the girl in his lap, who was still frozen. Although he had compelled her to stop moving, he could hear her heart beating fast, obviously having to show her fear in other ways.
"I've never seen this one before," Stefan stated, eyeing the girl.
"She's new. We brought her in yesterday," Klaus smirked, "Though I'm having second thoughts now whether or not I should sell her. She's…fun to be with." He turned to the girl and grinned, "Aren't you, sweetheart?"
She stood frozen as he ran his hands up and down her bare arm, before he placed a rough kiss on her neck. She tried to get free but he only enjoyed her struggles.
"Want a taste, Stefan?" Klaus offered, his face now turning to that of a demon.
Stefan didn't need to be told twice. He blurred, and both of them grabbed a fist of the girl's hair from each side of her head and sank their fangs into the delicate flesh. Ripping and tearing, sipping every last drop.
As she sat there writing her story, Elena couldn't help but think about Damon. She knew perfectly well that she was falling for him, more and more every day. But she couldn't admit it, because Damon would just hurt her and use her feelings against her. He would make her a weak girl, with no right to decide anything. It was unacceptable; she shouldn't have any feelings for the monster that took her freedom.
But then, she remembered the night before, the way her body had reacted to his touch and to his hungry kisses. She wanted him the night before, or at least her body did. It was true that she reacted the way she reacted, but she reacted that way because he had taken her off guard. He had thrown himself on her, not taking no for an answer and Elena considered that attempted rape. She couldn't handle much more. Truth be told, the way he had acted scared her, but something in her scolded her that she didn't give him a chance. Sure, he was drunk, and he was acting possessively, but she couldn't say she didn't enjoy his cool skin against hers, his mouth on her neck kissing her ever so softly but urgently, and the way he had captured her lips in a hungry kiss. It was something different than she expected. Elena had a boyfriend before, Matt, but his kisses never created things in her the way Damon did. Elena was a virgin; and she planned to keep it that way till she was really ready. But that night…She had wanted Damon. She wanted him, she wanted to become his. And if he hadn't caught her off guard like he did and approached her differently, not drunk she probably would have told him her feelings and given herself to him right then and there because she would've been unable to resist his temptation any longer once he said those words. He wanted her, that much she now knew and she liked that.
She felt him behind her before he spoke. She was used to him now. "Are you hungry?" He asked her.
"A little," Elena admitted.
"I'm ordering a pizza for you," He said, "Any preferences?"
"A plain pizza is good," Elena finished lamely. "On second thought, along with the pepperoni and cheese, I'd like bacon if it isn't too much trouble," She added.
"No, of course not." Damon forced a smile, however his demeanor changed. "I'm sure I don't have to warn you," Damon said, his eyes cold and menacing. "No funny business. In fact, you're going to stay inhere the entire time. Can I take your word for it or do I have to lock you in?"
"No, I'll be good, I promise," Elena said instantly.
He stroked her cheek. "Good girl. I'm taking your word for it. I don't wish to hurt anyone, and I am sure you don't want a dead person in your conscience." He gave her a knowing look. "Don't make me kill someone, Elena."
"I won't," Elena assured him.
…
She kept her promise, and when he told her to come down in the kitchen, he praised her for it, and told her that as long as she behaved, no one had to get hurt. She sat in silence, eating her pizza and he took a few slices for himself just to join her knowing full well Elena would not be able to eat a large pizza all by herself.
She stood up to do the few dishes and she expected him to leave, but he stood up and grabbed a teatowel himself.
"What are you doing?" Elena asked, puzzled.
"Helping you dry the dishes, of course." He stated as if it were the most common thing in the world.
"I thought vampires didn't dry dishes." She inquired.
"They do, when they're bored," Damon finished with a smug smile, and added mentally: or when they want to just be with someone.
She accepted the answer and filled the sink with warm, soapy water and added the dishes, scrubbing them for a few times before handing them to Damon. She took a glass and planned to do the same thing, when she suddenly yelped in pain, and the water turned pink. The glass apparently couldn't take much pressure and it instantly broke in half, making a huge cut in Elena's palm. Blood immediately started to pour out and it was more the fear of what Damon could do to her rather the cut itself.
His eyes had turned red, but she realized that he was shrugging it off immediately. He turned to her and immediately placed a piece of cloth on the cut, before bringing on his first aid kit and started to apply creams on it like nothing happened.
Elena could only stare in amazement as he cleaned her wound with care, and when he finished, he bandaged it neatly. "I don't understand," Elena said, "You didn't kill me."
"I have control over blood, Elena," Damon answered her. "It takes more than this to lose control with you." When he heard himself saying the words "with you" he instantly cursed mentally. Good, now he was becoming sloppy, that was not a good thing.
She was surprised that he didn't think of her as a warm meal, but she didn't say anything to avoid awkwardness.
"Does it still hurt?" Damon asked.
"No, thank you," She assured him, "You handled it well. How do you know this stuff?"
"I wanted to become a doctor when I was human," He said, turning away from her.
"Really?" Elena asked, amazed.
"Yeah," He replied, "I couldn't see myself as anything other than that. Things didn't go as I planned, though. Life never goes like we planned, Elena. Not even right now for me, even though I'm a vampire."
She wanted desperately to ask him how he turned, but she didn't dare. She couldn't talk to him about that, because she was afraid that she would like him somehow.
"Life is a mystery. They say death is a mystery, but I don't believe that," Damon continued. "Death is peaceful, kind. It is something that no one can explain. Life, on the other hand, can put you through so much that you don't even know who you are anymore. What you are." He grabbed her face and made her look at him. "I tell you one thing, though, no one asked to be like me. Not even the ones that begged to be turned. You're young and you can't understand, but I can, because I've lived long enough to understand that nobody in their right mind wants this."
Over the night, Elena thought a lot about Damon's words, about what he was trying to say. She just couldn't accept the fact that his character was based upon the difficult circumstances he had to encounter in his life. She couldn't understand that something that beautiful could also be that deadly. That's why she wanted to get out of there and far away from him as possible. She didn't want to escape because she was afraid that he'd kill or hurt her, not anymore. She was afraid that if she did stay, she'd grow attached to him.
She had barely finished that thought when she heard a small noise coming from the terrace. Her balcony led to the back terrace, and there, a man in his twenties was signaling something for her to understand. He was not standing far away, and she could hear him.
"I'm here to save you," He said, before he signaled for her to get inside her room. "Are you locked?"
"No," Elena whispered.
"Lock the door and step out in the balcony, next to the railing," He instructed, "I'll come and get you. Trust me." She hurriedly obeyed and locked the door with the key Damon had left her.
"Elena, you are going to have to trust me," The man whispered, "I need you to jump. I'll catch you." Fear took over Elena at the thought. She did not know that man.
"Trust me, Elena, Jenna sent me," The man continued, "I won't harm you. I'm going to take you home, and we are going to inform the police about this."
But for some reason, Elena had a bad feeling about this.
Counting to three in her head, Elena took a deep breath and jumped.
She felt panic in her body until she realized she was in the man's arms. Only when she opened her eyes, the man holding her was Damon Salvatore, and the man who was supposed to save her was lying on the floor, beheaded.
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