AN: Thanks again for the reviews/support. My boyfriend just tried to sell me into slavery at Chipotle in exchange for him to get four chicken quesadillas. He literally spoke to the manager trying to work out a deal. Just 4 quesadillas? I should be worth more than 4. Granted they are absolutely delicious but 4 is only $24. I stood there the whole time like this -.- while the girl was laughing. I think that they were actually considering it too.
Damon is down the stairs before I am. I take my time running down the stairs instead of using my vampire speed.
Damon didn't warn me to stay away from Jeremy, he didn't tell me to stay in my room. Something that I know Stefan would have done. If anything happens I know that Damon is a lot faster then me, I completely trust him to stop me if I try to rip Jeremy's throat out. The thought for a moment bothers me but I shake my head as if it is shaking the image out of my mind.
I hit the bottom of the stairs, the front door is already open. The night air lightly blowing in. I could easily distinguish their faces with the porch light. Anna looked exactly the same as she did at the Founder's Day celebration, except spots on her clothes were turned black, the ends of her jacket fraying. I stand there in confusion for a moment until I remember that she was down in the basement. The look of confusion grows on my face even more as I try to wrap my head around how she got out of it.
"Anna." Damon says, the same amount of confusion coming out of his voice.
"You two look just so happy to see me." Anna walks past Damon with Jeremy closely following her.
"You were staked and then set on fire. I'm more of wondering how the hell you're standing in front of me." Damon lets the door close behind them as they make their way into the study.
Anna collapses onto the couch with Jeremy sitting down right next to her. I notice their fingers immediately find each others. I'm still standing back in the foyer watching the exchange between everyone.
The sweet smell of blood that I was expecting didn't come to me. I was imagining that the second I saw Jeremy that I would lose all control jumping for his neck. Not even able to remember that he's been my brother my whole life despite the fact that I'm actually John and Isobel's.
I breathe in, closing my eyes. Letting every single smell hit my senses. I can smell Anna, the smell of gasoline and burnt clothing. I can smell all of the book on the shelves collecting dust. I can small the opened bottle of liquor a few feet away on the small bar. I'm letting everything hit me to distinguish it, still expecting to smell human blood.
Nothing.
I walk over to where they are. Damon standing with his back towards me, I stand right next to him slightly tilting my head as I keep looking at Jeremy. Completely ignoring the fact that I am still standing here in nothing but Damon's black shirt which the smell of him is still lingering mixing with all of the other scents right now. I push it aside though, trying not to get myself worked up at the moment.
"Here's the thing…" Anna is starting to say but I cut her off.
"You turned him?" I asked more shocked than I probably should be. I should have expected this. I guess I just didn't think that it would be this soon.
I didn't even notice. I've spent so long getting used to the smell of humans that most of the time everyone mixes together. I can tell that Damon is a little surprised by it too.
"Not exactly. Well yeah, I did." Anna her voice completely serious, the smile that is usually so visible in her voice when she is around Jeremy has vanished.
I didn't want this life for Jeremy. I don't want him to go through this. I can feel an anger surfacing in me. The sense coming on stronger than it should have.
"How could you?" I sound so much like myself. The hurt is radiating off of me. This time its Jeremy that speaks as he jumps off of the couch.
"How could you have done everything that you did to me? All of the lies. I thought that I had lost Anna tonight, I didn't want to feel the pain of losing her. She's here thought and that's all that really matters to me. I can let go of you having Damon erase my memories. I can't have you stand here though saying that you don't want this for me, accusing Anna of turning me. This was my choice. How dare you as you're standing here just as turned as I am." His brown hair falling to the sides of his face. Jeremy's words cut me and I flinch moving my face away from his for a moment in shame. I collect myself and turn myself back towards him.
Do you want me to talk to him? You know its killing me not to rip into him for talking to you like that. In his own way he's actually really sweet. I know that he's concerned because he sees the situation the same way that I do. That I did it to protect Jeremy. The harder I tried though the more that he got pushed into all of this.
Thank you. I need to talk to him though.
"You're right." I say softly. Jeremy's defensive stance relaxes. He sits back down on the couch, his hand once again finding Anna's. "I'm so busy trying to protect you that I couldn't see that Anna was already doing that. Some part of me knew that this would eventually happen, I just didn't think that eventually was right now. As for me, I wanted this life with Damon. I didn't choose to be turned right now but it happened. There is a lot more too it than that though." All of us are quiet for a moment.
"What do you mean that there is a lot more to it? I mean I understand that there must be because well I expected you to be with the one that broods all the time with him letting you grow old out of guilt that he would never want to turn you." I know that she doesn't mean any harm by the words, honestly though they don't bother me. I don't feel guilty about what happened. I didn't do it intentionally, hurting Stefan, I fell in love with Damon though. I think he understood that. A small part of me though wonders sometimes that he must be doing now. I try not to think about it, not wanting Damon to hear my thoughts since I'm not too sure if I can turn off the communication. "Oh don't look so sullen, we all know its true. He would have never done it." Anna somewhat has the same quality that Damon does, the one where they both just say whatever it is that they are thinking.
Damon does me the favor of switching the topics. "Right now I think that we are a lot more curious as to how you are alive." Damon and I are both still standing as we watch Jeremy and Anna sitting next to one another.
Anna lift up her hand where her ring that is so similar to Damon's, John's and Alaric's; is in perfect condition on her finger.
"That's not possible." Damon wants to doubt it so much but he can't. Neither can I. A ring that can bring a vampire back from being well dead.
"I'm here, aren't I?" Anna puts her hand back down resting it on her blackened grey jeans.
"How though? I mean my ring doesn't do that. No ones does." Damon sits down in the arm chair that is across from the couch that they are sitting on. Damon pulls me down onto his lap. I try pulling down the shirt that I am wearing in a feeble attempt to cover some of my legs. Damon wraps an arm around my waist letting an ease flow of me. I stop fidgeting with the hem on the shirt, letting my hands rest on his free hand that is on the arm of the chair.
"After you and Stefan left Mystic Falls I spent time with Emily. She experimented a lot and this was one of those experiments. She didn't know if it would work, fuck I didn't think that it would. I don't know if she made anymore after this one. I don't quite think it works like the other ones either. I'm pretty sure it was only good for that one time. It works differently since we're already dead. I know that its in her Grimoire though. You'll be able to find out a lot more about it than what I can tell you."
"No it can't be. I looked through it so many times." Damon is blocking off his mind from mine, I try to listen but I hear nothing but silence. I let my face fall into a frown. His mind must be running too many thoughts for me right now. I try to not let it get to me as I continue on with their conversation.
"You just weren't looking for it." Anna says with a smile playing on her lips.
I didn't want to overwhelm you. I could still hear you though. I look over at Damon who still has his eyes focused on Anna and Jeremy.
"Bonnie has the grimoire." Damon's voice is full of determination. I look over at him interested in why he would want one.
"Well you and Jeremy are going to need rings if you want to go out in the sun. Besides I don't look forward to spending an eternity with someone who has a different sleep schedule than me." There is a smirk across his face as he raises his eye brows at me. Something that he hasn't done in awhile. I turn my head away in shyness. I would have been blushing if it were possible. He incredibly sexy when he does that. I start to let my mind wonder letting the lust take over me. Damon leans into me.
"Why Elena, I didn't know that you had such a dirty mind." Damon whispers into my head seductively. I try not to smile but do push the thoughts of him and me away right now. Even if I want nothing more than for him to run his hand up my thigh.
"Ok! I think its time to actually get you some blood because your mind is really starting to go off. As much as at any other time I wouldn't mind, I don't think that us going at it right now would be too appropriate." I hang my head even lower letting my long hair cover up most of my face. I can hear Anna trying not to snicker at Damon's comment while Jeremy has somewhat of a disgusted look on his face. One of the things that used to annoy me about Damon was his ability to say anything he wanted with no remorse for anyone, completely being an asshat about it sometimes. Now though, it is a quality that I like in him. I'm embarrassed but I can't bring myself to be mad at him for this one.
I get up following Damon into the kitchen where the fridge is stocked with different bags of blood from the hospital. I stand there looking at all of the bags, the red looking darker than normal against the white background. Even through the plastic I can faintly smell the blood. I take in a deep breath letting my head start to pound. I clench my teeth together trying to keep control of the thirst coursing through me.
"Is it always like this?" I ask Damon through gritted teeth.
"No. You'll eventually grow out of the throbbing pain when you smell it. The thirst though will always be there."
I look at Damon with wide eyes. Turning my hands into fists, letting my knuckles turn white as I dig my nails into the palms of my hands. Damon takes his hands in mine as soon as he notices what I am doing. Its taking everything that I have to not tear through all of the bags in this very moment letting the blood flow into my mouth, sliding smoothly down my throat….
"Stay with me." Damon's eyes look for mine, I lock my eyes onto him redirecting all of my concentration. His gorgeous blue eyes make the burning in my throat almost like a faint pain. "You will always have the thirst but it wont be this bad for long. I promise you though that I will be with you for all of this." Damon is leaned down a little bit so his eyes are eye level with mine.
"You don't have to say it, I know that you are going to be. Thank you though." I smile at him letting myself get lost in his beauty.