I woke up a few hours later. For the first time in a long time I didn't have any nightmares which was the weird thing because there Stefan was downstairs, becoming a monster. I got out of Damon's bed and walked downstairs quietly. I don't know why I was being quiet, Damon would hear me regardless. I found him in the study, his hand was on the glass of whiskey that he likes so much. I stood at the bottom of the stairs looking over at him. Damon set the bottle down and the glass that he was going to use he put upside down and next to the rest of the glasses. It surprised me, he actually wasn't going to drink. I walked over to the entrance.
"There's no point in me drinking if you're awake." Damon said and he turned around. Of course he knew that I was there the whole time.
"Why?" I asked moving further into the room.
"Well if I'm sitting around drinking, you'll be sitting around moping about . I'm really not sure that that's what you want to be doing right now. There's a part of what he says that's completely right. I'm concerned about Stefan. What can I do right now though with him locked down in the cellar, vervain running through his system? Nothing. I can't do one thing. I don't like sitting around having to wait this out. I think that I might take Damon's approach to life. Drink my sorrows away.
"Remember Atlanta?" I asked Damon. He gave me his infamous smirk. Atlanta was the only time that I had genuine fun with Damon. I got to see the real Damon and I'm admitting that I like it. I remember that day so clearly, when we were on our way back to Mystic Falls. I asked him why he didn't compel me. His answer is what shocked me, but a memory that I have kept vivid. We were having fun and because I wanted it to be real.
I don't know what was going through Damon's head that day. I know that Stefan tells me that Damon is nothing but bad news but there is a huge part of me that believes what he told me that day.
Damon already knew what I was hinting at. He poured a glass and handed it to me. Instead of slowly drinking it like I see Damon do so often. I part my lips lightly to the glass. I tip my head back letting the liquid hit the back of my throat. I swallow really fast. It becomes hot as it slides down my throat. I shake my head thinking that will automatically make it stop. Of course it doesn't, the burning is still there. I look over at Damon and he's starting at me a little shocked. He shrugs and does the same thing. Only he doesn't shake his head in disgust afterwards, he just pours both of us another glass.
"I always forget how much it burns going down afterwards." I say as I walk towards him.
"I definitely wasn't expecting all of this." Damon says as I take the glass out of his hand and do the same thing. This time I don't shake my head but close my eyes for a moment instead.
"I wasn't expecting Stefan to..." I couldn't finish my sentence. I can't bring myself to say what Stefan has become. He's so different from the person that I knew. I feel like I've been betrayed, I think that's what is hurting the most. I also feel like this is so much my fault from having him drink from me.
"Its not your fault. I know that's what you're thinking." I looked over at Damon. I must have been staring off. "If you hadn't of done that, you would both be dead. I wouldn't have made it out there in time. You did the right thing Elena."
Damon is right, in a way. I just can't stop myself from feeling guilty.
"I know." I say to him quietly. "Pour me another glass." I thrust the glass back towards him, a little more forcefully than I meant to.
Time starts to move faster and the pain begins to numb. To an extent I understand why Damon does this. I just don't think that I can do it everyday. I also keep glancing at the staircase down to the cellar. I know that its going to take more than just a day for him to get back to normal, if Stefan ever does.
"He's fine down there." I heard Damon say.
I looked over at him. I hadn't realized that I had been glancing at the staircase for a good minute now.
"Stefan locked me down there for days with vervain and no food and I survived." Damon shrugged it off and took another drink. I looked down at mine. Damon set his glass down. I felt his hand on my arm. I took in a sharp breath. He noticed, immediately lifting his hand off of me. I hope that he doesn't think anything bad about that, it just surprised me. "I promise, Stefan will come out of this." Damon looked into my eyes and I could tell that he meant it.
I don't know what it is about him but I feel like I can tell when he is being genuine with me, and this? This is one of those very rare moments. I can't help but smile at him just a little bit.
"Maybe I should take you home." Damon says to me. I wonder why he says this all of a sudden but I have been away from home for a while. I nod in agreement.