Author's Note: So I'm all caught up on replying to all my reviewers. *skips happily across the chapter*
So I'm in a silly mood. And you know how I get when I'm feeling silly. *wide grin with a sparkle in my eyes*
Ooh, major props to bibi 13ca and Layla Reyne for their valuable legal input and suggestions. You guys really rock!
A Woman's Worth: Chapter TWENTY (Didn't I once say that this story would only be 10 chapters or less? WHAT THE FUCK was I thinking?!)
Damon's POV
Mmmmmm.
Whoever said that having sex was better than kissing had obviously not been kissed by Elena Gilbert before. Her lips were my drug; I could never have enough of them. Right now, they were driving me insane, drawing me to them like a moth to a flame, except that I was the flame because one simple touch from her could set me on fire and send me sky-rocketing towards the stars.
She tasted better than chocolate-covered strawberries, and this coming from someone who has been in a long-term relationship with chocolate ever since my Mother once made the grave mistake of mixing some into my milk bottle. She could never get me to drink plain boring milk again.
But then I fell in love with Elena and her lips, and now chocolate milk will never compare, or even be in my top five lists of favorite tastes again. That list now consists of her warm lips, her tongue, her finger, her cheek and ohhh, her skin in general.
As one-half of a newly dating couple, it was probably not that far-fetched to be canoodling with my girl in the middle of the day, in my own backyard and on the ground. As her case-handler and self-defense instructor, kissing her in the middle of a sparring session probably would be frowned upon, or even forbidden altogether. At this moment, I just had to find the strength to set my priorities right and…
Oh dear God, what was that move she just made with her tongue…..?
Mmmmmm.
I decided right then that I was a boyfriend first and overprotective instructor second, right when her body curved around mine, molding itself to every inch of my length and pressing against my very alert nether region.
She moaned when I released her sweet mouth, allowing her to breathe while I trailed my lips down the length of her sexy neck, licking madly on her sweat-slicked skin that made her sink her fingers in my hair, pulling me even closer to her. Nibbling my way down the side of her neck, my exploring tongue found the faint scar on her sensitive skin near her collar bone, the set of teeth marks left behind by her evil ex that was more effective in dampening my ardor than a bucket of cold water with ice cubes.
"Nooo, don't stop," the stimulating girl in my arms protested when I lifted my head to peer down at her skin, flawless other than the visual reminder of what she had been through and why we were outside in the first place. "Want more kissies," she pouted adorably, effectively warming my heart at the level of comfort between us now, just barely a week after we declared our feelings for each other.
That's right. Elena Gilbert, my girlfriend. My sweetie pie. My one true love. The mustard to my hot dog.
That came out wrong.
Shaking my head firmly, I pressed one last kiss on her pouty lips and then reluctantly got up onto my feet, pulling her right up with me, brushing the leaves and grass from her messy hair from our amorous tumble on the ground. "No more kissies! We're supposed to be training, okay? I'm supposed to attack you and teach you how to fend me off," I admonished in a stern voice, ignoring the healthy glow of her cheeks and the redness of her full lower lip I had been sucking on only moments ago.
"But you were attacking me! So maybe it was with your lips but I did learn something. I learnt that if all else fails, I could just kiss my attacker and distract him, see? In my book, that's a win-win situation all around," she insisted while straightening her tank top.
I never realized before but this was the first time in months that I had seen her wear something sleeveless and a little more revealing. Okay, so maybe not exactly revealing in a sexy way, but for one thing, her arms and shoulders were exposed and the sporty top clung to her petite frame more enticingly, as opposed to the shapeless tee shirts she usually wore ever since Christmas. Perhaps this was why I didn't even notice the scar on her neck since the day I found her naked in her bathroom; because I couldn't see it and she had kept it well hidden…until now.
It made me wonder what else she was hiding from me, covered up behind her clothes. It made my blood boil just thinking of the bruises or scars that marked her perfect body. That's when I swore to myself: Never again will another man lay a hand on her. Never.
"Come on, let's focus on your kicks for ten minutes and then we'll switch to punches. Go ahead, give me all you've got," I said, sounding more gruff than I had intended. Her face fell when I failed to give a rejoinder to her playful teasing and I immediately regretted my tone, but I was simply trying to help her to protect herself.
Without a word, she put her serious mask on and concentrated on kicking the crap out of the shield pad I was holding to bear the brunt of the impact before switching over to a pair of focus mitts to take her punches. Her skills and strength had improved tremendously and I actually had a hard time taking the ferocity with which she tackled these self-defense lessons. She was quick on her feet, determined and looked downright hot as her brows furrowed in concentration. I was so proud of her and I wanted her to know it.
"You're doing great, you know?" I complimented sincerely as soon as we had stopped, watching her with pride as she gathered her damp hair into a ponytail, sweat dripping from every pore of her body. It was hard to resist her but I managed….barely. "I'm so proud of the way you handle yourself, Elena. You're focused, you're fast, and you've basically mastered all the right techniques. Now all you need to do is to make sure that you can think fast on your feet and watch your opponent's actions so that you can counter-act before he can even get close to you. Take him by surprise and all that."
She nodded in response and tilted her head slightly, pursing her lips thoughtfully. I could see the wheels turning in her head and that was proven when I saw the glint in her eyes.
"Okay, why don't we put that to the test, then? You attack me – no holds-barred – and I will try my best to defend myself or at least catch you off guard enough to escape. What do you say?" she asked with an arched brow.
A challenge? A physical challenge where I was obviously the more experienced one, not to mention the bigger one in size?
Piece of cake.
"Challenge accepted. But are you sure you don't want me to hold back just a little? I mean, I don't want to hurt you or anything," I threw back with my very own cheeky grin, intentionally taunting her with my next offer. "It'll be too easy, even. If you want, I can do it blindfolded or even with one arm tied behind my back."
Rolling her eyes at me, she let her wide brown eyes rove up and down my body as if she was checking out the merchandise. Oh the nerve of that girl! "Oh no, I want your entire body in this with me, every single part of that fantastic physique, every….muscle. I'm all in if you are."
I stiffened at her sultry tone, uncertain if we were still talking about our sparring challenge or something else entirely. I hadn't allowed myself to even think about the 'something else', not when we just started dating without even going out on an actual date yet. But there was just something in her voice that definitely made my mind wander towards the naughty side of my brain, and now some other part of me was stiffening, too.
"Tell you what; let's make this interesting," she went on when I didn't seem capable of responding. "The winner gets to call the shots tomorrow during our trip to Richmond, and the loser has to obey without putting up a fuss. I mean, depending on the winner's instructions, the loser might end up as a winner, too." By now, her voice had gone so low that I was struggling to even hear her but then she moved much closer to me, her lips merely an inch from my ear as she whispered, "Just saying."
Gulping audibly, I tried to maintain my cool and drag my mind out of the gutter which was difficult, since the imagined gutter was so damn deep and filled with lots of enticing images. In all honesty, I wanted to drag her down into it with me and stay there until we were both well and truly spent from all the sweaty, hot, hungry sex we'd be having.
"How do we-" I cleared my throat when my voice came out all squeaky and high, feeling my face warming up when Elena chuckled at me. "How do we decide who's the winner?"
"The winner will be the one who pins the loser down and walks away," she explained with a sly smile and looking oh-so-sure that she would win. Time to knock her self-confident ass down a peg or two.
"Fine. Are you ready?" I asked as I got into position of a boxer, crouched down low with my fists up in front of my face.
The cheeky brunette arched an eyebrow and asked, "Are you?"
My lips curled into a sneer and then I lunged at her, moving forward and backwards quickly as I looked for an opening, blocking her well-aimed kicks and timely punches. She held her own well enough, but then I was better at anticipating each and every one of her moves before she even made them. To be honest, I held back a little, wanting her to learn from this exercise and maybe even allow her to think that she was winning. But of course, I wouldn't actually let her win. I did have a reputation to protect, after all.
I must have missed a handful of chances to knock her down before I finally saw the perfect opportunity and took it. She was aiming a kick towards my stomach, and it would have been a powerful one, too, except that I managed to narrowly evade it just in time to grab hold of her foot and twist it hard enough to make her lose balance. She landed hard on the grass on her bottom with a loud "Ooof", and seconds later, I was straddling her hips with my legs hooked behind her knees and pinning her arms down above her head.
"I win," I declared triumphantly, breathing heavily from the workout as I gazed down at her flushed face. Her chest was heaving from exertion, and I watched, transfixed, while her breasts rose and fell in time with her breathing.
"And I welch," she announced while I was distracted, giving me no chance to brace myself when she mashed her lips against mine roughly, hungrily. I was left powerless against her sudden assault, reacting instinctively with my heart rather than using my head to even consider this as one of her diversion tactics.
I am a man and I am a flawed one at that.
With her warm lips sliding sensuously on mine, I released her wrists to slide one arm under her neck to cradle her head, aligning our mouths to deepen the kiss while the other slid down to her waist and squeezed it tightly, drawing a low moan from her. As soon as her lips were parted, my tongue delved in to wrestle with hers, mimicking our sparring moves as I tasted her fully and then drawing her tongue to explore my own mouth.
I was so lost in the moment that it took me sometime to realize that she had rolled us over so that I was now lying flat on my back with her writhing erotically on top of me as she kissed me senseless. If there was ever a time when I regretted being a gentleman, it was then.
"And Damon?" she mumbled, her lips still attached to mine. I released a grunt in response, not capable of any coherent thought except not wanting to separate from her romantic mouth, not when her upper and lower lips were sucking on my lower one, pulling at it with her teeth. Without planning to, my hands lowered of their own accord to grip her hips, holding her firmly as I rubbed myself against her lower abdomen, wringing another low moan from her.
One minute we were practically eating each other's face off and the next she was on her feet and standing over me, chest heaving with her hair wildly mussed and her clothes in disarray.
"What is it?" I panted, confused at the abrupt change of position and still aroused as hell.
"N-n- nothing," she denied uneasily, her eyes glued to my lower body. I wasn't certain but I could have sworn that I could see a flash of fear on her face right before she rearranged her features and dragged her gaze to look up at me. "I just wanted to tell you that I'll be driving the Camaro tomorrow, you know, since I won and all," she announced dismissively as she tidied herself up, now looking completely unaffected by our intense hip action just seconds ago.
Also, she-what?!
"What?" I echoed my own thought, struggling to sit up despite my tingling crotch. "I thought I won!"
Shaking her head, she gazed down at me apologetically. "That's what I made you think. You were entirely too cocky for your own good, declaring yourself as the winner prematurely. If you remember correctly, I did say that the winner would be the one who pins the loser down and walks away. And here you sit, on the ground, watching helplessly while I walk away."
With a smug expression, she turned away in slow motion, wriggling her pert little behind as she took her first step. Before she could make another, I had already hooked my foot around her ankle, tripping her up and sending her sprawling into my lap with a scream. "Now we're both on the ground and nobody's going anywhere," I teased, laughing at her shocked expression.
The instant she realized what's going on, she started shrieking with laughter and squirming to get free, her hips digging deliciously in my lap. "You keep at it and I'll show you exactly how cocky I can be," I told her with a smirk, effectively halting her motions as she stared down at my upper thighs, wide-eyed and wary.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tease you or make you…umm…uncomfortable in there," she whispered to my crotch, her expression one of guilt.
She looked so genuinely apologetic that I couldn't help but to chuckle at this one girl who could turn a passion-filled moment into a comical one just as easily as she could vice versa. I felt so overwhelmed with love for her that I couldn't help but to wrap my arms tightly around her in a bear hug and pressed my lips against her temple while I leaned backwards until we were both lying on our backs.
"We have to stop kissing during our training sessions," I announced much later, after several peaceful minutes of us simply enjoying the sun with her head on my shoulder, my arm around her back as she curled her body to my side.
"Yes, we should," she agreed before adding, "in theory." She tilted her head up and flashed me a knowing look before sighing in defeat. "You're absolutely right, of course."
"I always am," I declared arrogantly. "But in this case, I hate being right. And I don't know if I can stop myself. God knows I've tried, but you're entirely too irresistible for your own good. I'm thinking that I should get the other guys to train you instead, like Ric or Elijah."
Elena scrambled to sit up and gaped at me in alarm. "What? You're actually serious? You'd let other guys lay their hands on me and get physical with me?"
Well, now that she put it that way, it sure didn't sound as great an idea as when it first occurred to me. But still, these were my buddies, my Tweedle twins. They'd protect my girl with their lives. "I wouldn't have suggested them if I didn't trust them. My buddies are trained, and I know they would never hurt you. I'll keep watch the entire time and I can assure you that they won't force you to do anything you're not comfortable with. I can't train with you anymore, not if we'd just end up making out all the time. This is important to me, Elena," I stressed, working my eye-magic on her that seemed to work most of the time.
With a defeated sigh, she slumped back onto my chest and wrapped an arm tightly across my waist, giving in to my request. "Okay, if you think it'll help, then I'll do it," she said. "I wonder how they'd react to my kissing tactic, though. Would it be considered wrong to slip Ric some tongue action in the name of self-defense? I mean, what would Mere-"
With a low growl, I immediately rolled Elena over so that she was now trapped under me, receiving my wrath at her inappropriate suggestion. "Why, you little infuriating….beautiful…..sexy….naughty…." I snarled between kisses, drawing continuous giggles from the little vixen. "Screw training. We're gonna go with guns. I'll teach you how to point and shoot, and the good news is, I wouldn't dare go anywhere near your lips if you have a gun in your hand. Win-win," I muttered against her lips.
"Really?" she gasped, her doe-eyes widening in surprise. "Weren't you afraid that I'd shoot you with your own gun so that I could inherit your dog and Stefan?"
"Oh well, what's life without a little risk? Sometimes, taking risks can be good for you. Sacrifice a little and get a whole lot in return. Besides, I bet you'd look smoking hot with a gun," I teased, imagining her in an Angelina Jolie-esque garb in Tomb Raider.
"Sounds like a great plan! Don't you just love it when we mutually agree on something?"
Nodding slightly, I breathed her in, letting her scent wash over me as I fell back under her spell, all thoughts of the guys, the training and the lateness of the hour forgotten. "Agree on this," I whispered right before I claimed her irresistible lips, smothering her giggles again. And again. And again.
After an indecent amount of time spent frolicking with Elena in my backyard, I sent her upstairs with strict orders to take her shower, get changed and return back downstairs pronto so that I could hold her hand while we waited for the rest of the gang to show up for our Family Night.
It was a Friday night thing that we do every week, and basically consisted of all seven of us having dinner and then a round of silly games before we all retire for the night. Actually, now that I thought about it, our Friday nights ritual sure sounded a lot like our Monday nights, Tuesdays, et cetera.
That was part of the reason why I was practically skipping into the kitchen through the back door, intending to hop into my own shower and be back downstairs before Elena was done with hers. My carefully laid plans, though, were spoiled when I caught sight of two very annoyed-looking gentlemen, drinking some kind of beverage on my kitchen island.
"Well, thank God the training's over! It was like watching porn….except with clothes," Ric shuddered as soon as he saw me. "I feel all dirty now, no thanks to you and your-"
"Girlfriend?" I hurriedly interjected, loving any and all opportunities to use that word in regards to Elena. Just using it to describe her relationship with me gave me all sorts of tingly feelings all over my body. Yup, I was whipped and I wasn't afraid to show it. "It's okay, Ric, you can say it. Elena is my girlfriend now and we are allowed to lock lips once in a while. Hell, if I could stomach watching you and Mer going at it like bunnies when you guys first started dating, you can handle watching me and my girlfriend exchange fluids."
Not to be left out, Elijah jumped in right after him. "That's three times he's mentioned the g-word in a single breath. And, this is after that intense make-out session of not needing to breathe!"
"Ahh, oxygen is overrated! I'm trying to cut back on those pesky O2s, anyway," I grinned with a teasing roll of my eyes. When they both seemed positively aghast at my insanely good mood, I had to reassure them that I was the same Damon Salvatore they both know and love. "Come on, guys! I'm finally at the point of my life where I'm actually happy. I got the girl, Stef and I are all brotherly again, and Anna even started talking again; things are going great for once so why can't you two be absurdly pleased for me?"
The Tweedle twins exchanged a look and sighed simultaneously before walking around the island to enclose me into a big threesome bear hug, catching me by surprise. They weren't usually so physical in showing their love, but I'd take what I can get. At this point, I could even burst out singing 'Love Is All Around Me' by Wet Wet Wet. Well, if I thought that I could get away with it without having my buddies laughing till they were red in the face, then I would.
"We are insanely happy for you, Dee Dee," Ric offered to placate me, although using my hated nickname sure wasn't earning him any points. "We're just worried that you two might be moving too fast right now, especially with recent events and all."
The three of us were still hovering in a loose embrace, but that didn't stop Elijah from acting all father figure-type to the brunette upstairs. "Yes, and since Elena doesn't have a parent to look out for her, I'm going to have to step in and ask you what your intentions are with her, and whether you're being careful with the whole….umm, love thing, as in making it," he stammered uncomfortably, seemingly embarrassed to even be considering his best friend and a young lady having S-E-X.
Good God, did I just spell that out in my head? Did someone press the re-virgin-izing button on me? And yes, I realize that I just made up a new word, but I was so caught off guard by the whole Elijah acting-like-my-girlfriend's-father thing. It was rather….sweet. Disturbing, but really sweet.
"In other words, what Elijah's trying to ask is…do you wrap your willy before you two get silly?" Ric summarized, preferring to be less wishy-washy.
The direct approach wasn't exactly helping, either. "Uhh, we-uhh-we haven't exactly-I mean, we're just barely star-that is, I didn't-I don't intend to make with the whole love thingy," I stuttered like a foolish teenager who just hit puberty. Hell, I'll bet that thirteen year-olds were so much smoother than I was!
"Why, Elijah, did our friend just use every single word in the English language to announce that he hasn't had sex with his girlfriend yet? That is just too cute!" a laughing Ric declared, appearing to find pleasure with my sex life, or lack thereof.
Next thing I knew, my cheeks were being pinched and my hair affectionately ruffled. I hate it when my best friends go all touchy-feely on me, especially when I can't seem to return to the favor; one was armed and the other had no qualms crossing the 'friend-line' at times, making me uncomfortable with his questionable sexuality.
"Come on, guys," I pleaded, lowering my voice as I cast a furtive look about us in case Elena came back and overheard us. "You can tease me all you want when we're alone, but I don't want Elena to think that I expect anything from her. What we have now…it's beautiful, it's magical and it's more than enough for us. We don't need to have S-E-X to prove that we love each other. It's more about our emotional connection than anything else right now."
"Uh huh," Elijah deadpanned, "the grass outside were all flattened by the weight of all your heavy emotions, is that it? It had nothing whatsoever to do with all that dry humping you guys were doing?"
My face broke into a goofy grin at the reminder of our supposedly stolen moments earlier.
"That's it, our boy's gone again!" Ric quipped the second he caught my dreamy expression, smacking Elijah's shoulder as punishment. "You just had to bring that up again, hadn't you? I don't think he even cares about the Lockwood case update right now."
That casual mention of Elena's ex managed to shake me off my stupor when nothing else could. Immediately, my eyes went straight to Elijah, pinning him down with my anxiousness. "Wait, what update?"
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, I watched my friend making his way back to the bar stool he recently vacated to down his drink before launching into his explanation. "Well, I talked to a friend of mine in the District Attorney's office, and he thinks that we have a pretty decent case to prosecute Lockwood with, provided we combine the rape charge together with his history of violence towards Elena. A stand-alone rape case can be tricky when it comes to people in a long-term relationship, so it'll help if we can also show that he could have threatened her with the loss of a home or financial support, as it might seem in Elena's case."
"A decent case?" I queried, frowning at the use of the word. "I thought with that voicemail, it's pretty much a slam dunk scenario, isn't it?"
"Not exactly," he replied with a shake of his head. "It's a pretty crucial piece of evidence if it's also supported by the victim's testimony, but since too much time has passed since the actual event, we'll need other supporting details, like proof that the call originated from Elena's phone. It would have been better, too, if we had played that recording for the first time to her in an interrogation room where her reaction could be taped. But in any case, we can use it as leverage; we play it for Lockwood and threaten to leak it to the public and use it in an evidentiary hearing in front of a judge. With any luck, he'll agree to enter a guilty plea, if only to avoid the press that goes along with an actual trial."
It took me a while to process all that. All I heard was that there was a chance that the monster may not even make it to trial if he refused the plea deal, and if the judge didn't find sufficient evidence to convict him of the crime during the evidential stage. It all seemed a little uncertain to me.
"What can we do to increase our chances? Meredith can testify to the history of violence and provide all the medical documents to support it, and Caroline and I can be witnesses to the condition we found Elena in that day. There has to be something we can do to help, to speed things up, right?" I asked, feeling my heart sinking at the news.
"Well, yeah, sure there are. But our best bet would still be Elena's testimony," he insisted. "We still have a good case without her especially with that message, but if we can get her account of the rape and the abuse she suffered at his hands prior to it, it would be pretty straight-forward."
I was already shaking my head before he was done talking. I made a promise to Elena that she wouldn't be involved in any of it if I could help it, and I intended to keep it. "No, I'm not asking Elena to do anything she doesn't want to. She told me she doesn't want to be involved in any part of this, so I won't ask her to be. Do what you can with what we have, but she's staying out of it. I gave her my word," I stressed, my resolve evident to both men.
"Alright then," Elijah said thoughtfully, "I'll talk to the DA and try to get them to set an arraignment as soon as possible, next week at the earliest. I'll take care of it, Damon."
"Take care of what?" a soft voice came from behind us.
All three of us whirled around just as Elena hesitantly stepped into the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed for Family Night. Nothing prepared me for the sight of her in a sleeveless white dress for a change, a hint of cleavage exposed by the vee of her collar. The hem of her dress hit a few inches above her knees, elongating her legs even more than usual. It was the first time I've seen her in a dress since the incident, but I took it as a good sign that she felt more comfortable now wearing clothes that didn't cover most of her body.
"Hey," I greeted softly, my eyes drinking her in. "You look beautiful."
With a slight flush to her cheeks, she lowered her eyes and smoothed down her skirt nervously, mumbling a self-conscious 'thank you' before waving hello to the guys. "Damon, aren't you going to shower? Care and Stef will be back with dinner soon, and Mer's coming after her shift is done."
"Crap," I announced with a facepalm. "I forgot to go shower!"
"Well that explains the alluring aroma I've been trying to resist for the last half hour," Ric said straight-faced, and then failed to dodge my damp shirt that I tossed at him after peeling it off of my sweaty frame.
"There, go nuts," I called out with a chuckle over my bare shoulders as I ran past my girl, pressing a swift kiss on her cheek on my way to the staircase. I was halfway upstairs when I realized that Elena was left alone with two men whose penises she was still uncomfortable to be in the same room with.
Plan B.
I hurriedly made my way back downstairs to find all three of them still at the exact same spot I left them in, smiling awkwardly at each other. Without a word, I grasped Elena's hand and pulled her along with me into my bedroom. She seemed overwhelmed and a little tense at first to be in my room for the first time, especially on an unplanned visit, but as soon as she saw my stack of books right by my king-sized bed, she made a beeline for them.
"This is awesome!" she gushed, settling herself down on the floor as she started sifting through the titles. It was precisely that exact moment - with the sunset streaming in through the windows, making her seem like an angelic beauty who remained pure and untarnished despite the horrors of her past - I knew that she belonged right there, in my room, my home, and in my life.
Whatever I felt for her now, I was in it for keeps.
Elena's POV – Roadtrip to Richmond!
"Are you seriously going to wear that the entire way? Richmond is just over an hour's drive from here, you know?"
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the cloudless sky a perfect blue that reminded me of a certain someone's magnetic eyes which were not visible to me with the current getup he had adorned in preparation of our road trip.
And here, I was using the term 'getup' loosely because my mind came up blank the moment Damon entered the passenger's side of the car decked fully in black. I was perfectly fine with his black jeans and vee-neck shirt that was topped off with his trusty leather jacket.
It was the full face helmet that threw me off.
"Yes, indeed. You practically cheated during yesterday's sparring challenge and since you're behind the wheels of Senorita Chiquita, I thought a little extra protection would be needed," a muffled voice came from behind the visor.
Senorita Chiquita?!
"You named your car?" I really didn't know if I should laugh or be worried that I was dating a weirdo and that I would be spending an entire day with him. At least, I assumed it was Damon. Kind of hard to be sure when I couldn't see a hint of his face under all that…head gear. For all I knew, he could have sent a decoy; his brother, maybe, since he was so opposed to the idea of me driving the Camaro for the first time.
"Yes, and she's very sensitive over who I allow to drive her, so bear in mind that this would be the first and the last time that you'll be sitting on the driver's seat. You have no idea how long I have to cajole my baby into letting you drive, so you best be darn careful," he warned with his hands gesturing wildly since I couldn't see his facial expressions.
Rolling my eyes in exasperation, I said nothing as I buckled up and adjusted the seat, mirrors and tested the indicators before I slowly pulled out of the garage, stopping when we came to the end of the driveway.
"Well, that was exciting! Okay, let's trade places now," he suddenly exclaimed, already unbuckling his seatbelt.
WTF?! Couldn't the guy who was supposedly in love with me have a little more faith in my driving skills? "I've only been driving for ten seconds! Less, even," I argued, glaring at my own reflection as I turned my head to him. "Damon! Do you-ugh, take off that damn helmet so that I can actually see who I'm talking to!"
He instantly pushed the reflective visor up so that I could now see his face, but it just made him look ridiculous, especially when we were sitting in a covered car. "Do you not trust me?" I asked, narrowing my gaze at him.
"Of course I do," he answered without any hesitation. "I just don't trust my seatbelt in the event of a headlong collision. This helmet may just be the very thing that would make me live until the ripe old age of twenty-six."
Swallowing an urge to giggle at his quip, I merely folded my hands over my chest and continued glaring at him, obviously not moving a muscle until he took that thing off his head. I didn't want to be a laughing stock from Mystic Falls all the way to Richmond.
"Alright, alright," he grumbled, finally giving in as he removed the helmet and threw it on the backseat. "Quit flashing your killer Bambi-eyes at me. Besides, I only wore it as a joke. That thing sure reeks of whatever hair products my baby bro drowns his hair in. Remind me to get my own helmet in the future, one that comes with some ventilation," he complained as he fake-gagged like the drama Queen he sometimes is.
"For what? For when you're walking Pig?" I asked incredulously. It wasn't as if I was going to drive in his presence ever again. Actually, I might as well forget about driving altogether. With one hand on the door handle, I reached down to unclip the seatbelt with the other. "You know what? If it'll help you to unclench, I'll just take the backseat."
His hand shot out to stop me before I could even get the belt all the way off. "Now hang on, babe. I wasn't 'clenched' at all, okay? There are no body parts whatsoever that's even a little tight. Look at me," he urged, leaning back in his seat with his ankles crossed and his arms folded behind his head, looking as if he was getting ready to be modeling for a center spread. "Am I not the very embodiment of peace and serenity?"
He so was. Whenever Damon is in a playful mood, his entire body seemed to cooperate fully, from his trademark smirk to right down to his toes. In fact, he seemed to be perpetually in a good mood all the time. Not sure why, but somehow this seemed to irk me right now because I wanted to see every facet of his emotions.
I could sense a little of his sour mood yesterday during the training when he suddenly turned all serious and business-like, and to be honest, it scared me a little. I was so used to him being nothing but supportive and caring to me, that it seemed like a figurative slap to the face when he spoke to me in such a clipped tone. It only lasted for a short while and I didn't exactly dwell on it at the time, preferring to push that nagging feeling at the back of my mind aside.
That nagging feeling was that I was simply waiting for the other shoe to drop.
On paper and from what I had observed, Damon seemed to be the closest version of a perfect man that I've ever met. So perfect that it scares me at times, seeing as I had a lot more to lose now that we were in a romantic relationship. Now, my heart was on the line, my feelings running deeper with each passing day that we were together. If anything, the past one week of being his girlfriend actually meant more to me than the two years I spent with Mason.
It was downright scary how fast and how hard I'd fallen for this blue-eyed man. There had to be something wrong with him.
"Elena?" his anxious voice penetrated through my inner monologue, his hand reaching over to enclose mine, bringing it over to close over where his heart thudded steadily in his chest. "See? I'm calm and not the least bit worried. Do you feel that?"
Suddenly, I wanted to push his buttons. To piss him off and see what happens.
"Yeah, I feel your nipple."
Damn it, I wanted to make him angry not have him laugh at me! "No, what's under it?" he asked, still chuckling.
"Your nipple muscles?"
"Elena-"
"Your milk ducts?" I guessed, finding this whole exercise completely ridiculous but yet necessary at the same time.
An irritated 'tsk' sound escaped from his lips, a sign that I was getting on his nerves. Good.
"You are purposely ruining the moment! And I do not have milk ducts," he announced haughtily, sounding disgusted with the notion. "And you're completely missing the point here, Elena."
"Oh no, I'm getting the point loud and clear," I said, snatching my hand back from under his and putting the car into gear. "That was such a sneaky way to get me to grab your boobies!"
My obviously skewed deduction didn't gain the reaction I was aiming for. Instead of pushing him to lose his cool, he just erupted into mirth. My attempts to piss him off were starting to piss me off instead.
Disregarding the way his eyes were sparkling with amusement and perhaps even a hint of adoration, I fiddled with his car's built-in mp3 player and turned up the volume, finding the one song that might annoy the hell out of him. I smiled to myself when the familiar giggle began, followed by the starting lyrics of my favorite song as I was growing up.
I sang along somewhat obnoxiously as I eased the car into traffic, feeling much better when the man beside me remained silent. I could feel his gaze on me but I paid him no heed, concentrating on the road ahead of me and the fact that I knew the lyrics to the song by heart even though I hadn't heard it in years. Funny how that happens.
Imagine my utter shock when his voice joined in at the bridge, drawing a slow-motion head swivel from me in his direction when he sang along, complete with tapping feet and pointy finger movements.
"So here's a story from A to Z,
You wanna get with me you gotta listen carefully,
We got Em in the place who likes it in your face,
We got G like MC who likes it on and,
Easy V doesn't come for free, she's a real lady,
And as for me, ha, you'll see,
Slam your body down and wind it all around,
Slam your body down and wind it all around."
Ugh, he knew the lyrics, too?! Did the man know no shame?
"Eyes back on the road," he reminded when I kept staring at him unblinking, my mouth agape.
"You know this song?"
"Are you kidding?" he asked in disbelief. "Who doesn't know Spice Girls' first single? We play it a lot at the centre, you know? Girl Power message and all that. It's very empowering, considering the majority of our 'clientele'."
Shaking my head with disappointment, I reached over to press the skip button, interrupting the rest of the upbeat 'Wannabe', in search of a possibly annoying alternative that might be able to break Damon this time.
I found one.
"Oh God, not this Gangnam crap again!" he groaned, closing his eyes when the track started. "I really really hate this sorry excuse for music."
Perfect!
I turned up the volume and focused on not cringing with disgust with the fact that I even had this song in my music library. We both didn't speak for the whole duration of the song, and by the end of it, I decided to hit the repeat button just for the fun of it.
"Elena? Babe?" Damon yelled out to be heard over the unfortunate racket akin of a cat being skinned. With just one press of his finger, the car was once again enveloped in silence. "Are you trying to make me angry for some reason?"
Oooh….busted. "No…?" I slid a sideways glance at him, catching his thoughtful expression. An arched brow proved that he didn't quite believe me. "Did it work at least?"
"No, but color me intrigued as to your motivation behind it," he said, looking at me curiously.
So many big words. A simpler 'Why?' would have sufficed, but instead, I felt like a misbehaved schoolgirl being sent to see the principal.
"Nothing. It's not important so just forget it." How was I supposed to explain that I wanted to make him angry because I wanted to put him to the test? To see if he'd say or do anything that might scare the crap out of me? To see if he could be like Mason?
A long moment of silence later, Damon broached the subject again, this time his voice was hushed and sorrowful. "I'm not him, Elena. I could never be mad at you, not enough to hurt you like that. I'd sooner die."
"Sure you were. When you thought that I'd agreed to marry him, you were mad then. So angry that you had to find the nearest bar and started reuniting with your long lost bottle-shaped friends," I told him as I recalled that moment perfectly, the flash of anger in his eyes, the hard set of his jaw, the disappointment on his face. "You looked like you could even snap Mason's neck if he was within reach."
"Oh, the thought did cross my mind," he scoffed. "Many times over, in fact. But I've decided that it's not worth it, killing him, especially now that I have a lot more to lose than just my freedom."
I frowned at his words, wondering what's worse than losing his freedom? "Are you afraid of the prisoners forcing you to bend over in the showers or-?" I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
"Well yeah, that and also I'd be stuck in the place where most of the inmates know my name almost as well as they know my face. Do you know why that is?"
"You're friendly with a lot of criminals?" I asked, venturing a wild guess.
"No, I was the one who put them in there and I'm pretty sure they all want me dead. But that's not the point," he informed me, ignoring my raised brow. He didn't think it mattered if he lived or died? "The point is that I would lose you if I'm a convicted murderer, and I would never risk that, not when I just found you."
Shit. My eyes blinked rapidly to clear the shimmer of tears that had gathered there at the end of his speech, turning my insides to mush. He'd always had the innate ability to say all the right things at the right time and laying all my fears to rest.
The truth was that I never doubted him. It was me that I was unsure of, not knowing if I would somehow find an excuse to push him away, to change him. To destroy him the way I did with every other aspect of my life. I could hurt him, and I wasn't okay with that.
His hand suddenly covered mine, lifting it up to his face to press a light kiss on my knuckles, his thumb caressing my skin. "Smile for me, babe," he instructed softly.
I did. I forced my face to split into a wide grin, sighing deeply.
"Now frown," he said, momentarily confusing me so that my forehead creased automatically. "Now smile and frown at the same time," he ordered again.
He threw his head back and erupted into laughter when I obeyed his requests, gasping for me to look into the mirror between snorts. "I'm s-sorry but you l-look constipated," he snickered, tears of mirth falling from his eyes.
I couldn't help but to burst out into fits of giggles when I caught my own reflection, my face screwed up into an indescribable expression. I looked as if I was in immense pain but yet seemed to enjoy it. Grrr.
"You're handling me," I grumbled when we've both sobered up, wiping our eyes with the backs of our hands. I knew it; he was trying to distract me like he always did, especially when he knew that I was feeling negative about myself.
"No, I'm not. I just love you," he declared huskily with a wobbly grin.
Uh-oh. Declaration-vomit coming up. "I love you, too." My answering smile made his grip on my hand tighten as our eyes met. I officially loved road trips, too.
"Eyes on the road, babe. Just because your singing didn't kill me, your driving skills might still finish the job."
Grrrr.
"Are you ready?"
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and nodded at the raven-haired man beside me, my hand holding onto his in a bone-crushing hold. As soon as we entered the room, Damon led me over to a small group of people that consisted mostly of women and only two men.
"Hi, Damon," greeted several of them with a smile when they saw us approaching, some even walking right over to hug him. I didn't expect for them to be on a first-name basis with him, let alone well enough to be hugging my boyfriend.
"Hey. This is Elena, my girlfriend. We're just here to observe and, you know, catch up with you all," he informed them with a friendly smile.
After chatting with the members briefly, Damon pulled me to the side of the room, a few feet away from the ring of chairs located in the middle of the room where they started taking their seats. For some reason, I felt nervous even though I wasn't going to take part in it. Then, the meeting began and it was an eye-opening experience, starting with the organizer's personal story of how she, like Damon, grew up in an abusive home.
By the end of that meeting that felt like hours, I was certain of one thing; human beings are plain evil. If I ever thought that I had it bad, these people were so much worse off than me.
It seemed that abuse comes in so many different forms and it happens to so many different types of people; from toddlers to older folks, men and women from all walks of life. It didn't matter what background they were from, what ethnicity, rich or poor. Those people who had the courage to tell their stories all suffered from physical and emotional abuse from their spouses, their parents, or even their superiors at work.
Almost all of them suffered silently for years, even decades, before they finally had enough and found the courage to seek help. A couple of them had to watch their loved ones die, a child for one of them and a beloved pet for another, before they were willing to put their foot down. And then, right before it ended, the organizer held a moment of silence for some of their past members who did not leave in time to survive.
There was so much pain in that one room, so many tears as they recounted their experience that my heart broke for each and every one of them. I stood there, listening to their stories and all I could think of was that I was damn lucky.
I was lucky that I only suffered through it for a few months, but most of all, I was lucky that I had Damon. And Caroline. And the rest of our family that made the pain more bearable. I had people who loved me and never gave up on me. By the end of it, I was simply clinging onto Damon with tears streaking down my face, feeling ashamed that I survived when others didn't. A part of me felt that I didn't deserve to be alive, but only a very small part.
I felt rather selfish now because I was alive and I also had a second chance at love with a man like Damon. I must have done something right in my past life.
"Hey, are you okay?" his anxious voice sounded in my ear as I stood in his comforting embrace.
The entire experience was cathartic and yet agonizing at the same time. It opened up some old wounds that I thought had long healed, leaving me feeling raw and emotionally drained. Despite my excitement of spending an entire day alone with Damon, I wasn't in the mood to do the whole touristy thing now.
"Not really, but I am so ready to go," I said as I hugged him closer, wishing that I could just spend the next few hours wrapped around him, tucked safely under his protection. "Do you think we can just go somewhere and not think for a few hours?"
I had my eyes closed and my head buried in his neck, but I could practically hear his mind working to come up with a suggestion. "Well, technically, this is our first date. How about an early dinner and a movie before we head home?"
A couple of hours of mindless movie-watching and food to ease my heartache? Ohh, wonderful!
"Have I ever told you that you're perfect?" I murmured into his neck, heaving a contented sigh.
His throaty chuckle rumbled deep in his chest, sending vibrations all over my body. "Not recently, no. In fact, never."
"Then I'm such a ninny. I should tell you that more often, daily even if we could watch something scary or funny."
And as usual, Damon delivered.
In less than an hour, we were both seated in a sparsely filled cinema, watching a bunch of arachnids from outer space wreaking havoc in New York City. By 'watching', I totally meant with our eyes staring into each other's, holding hands as I crawled onto his lap, snuggling against his body.
By the end of that movie, I found that; one, I had no idea what the movie was about; two, those spiders seemed harmless compared to humans in the real world. Oh, and three, Damon's lips tasted even better in the dark and surrounded by chaos and mayhem on the screen.
I happily relinquished my status as designated driver of the day, preferring to sit in the passenger's seat beside Damon as he drove his 'Senorita Chiquita' on our way home. It had been a surreal kind of day, one that I enjoyed parts of it immensely, while the other parts were just….numb-inducing. I was actually eager for the night to end.
"Hmm," Damon said suddenly, attracting my attention to the red and blue lights that greeted us as we slowed down to a stop right outside the Mystic Falls Hospital. The flickering lights came from several police cars that were parked haphazardly near the entrance. "Elijah's car is here," he observed, seeing the familiar black sedan that his best friend drives.
I couldn't explain the unexpected feeling of foreboding that struck deep in my stomach. "Should we-should we go see what's up? What if something happened while we were gone? What if it was Mason and someone's hurt?"
With a frown, he nodded, cutting off his engine completely before we both made our way into the hospital, greeted by the glaring bright lights and the sight of several police officers talking to some of the hospital staff. We went deeper into the building, following the commotion until we spotted our detective friend in the midst of a tense conversation with a woman who wore a white overcoat. She looked like a doctor.
The moment Elijah spotted us, his jaw tightened and I could tell that whatever happened must have been very bad. He spoke quickly to the woman and then walked right over to where we stood, still wondering what went wrong.
"You're back," he began with a flustered expression. "I'm sorry, I wanted to call you two but as you can see, things have been rather crazy around here."
"We were just on our way home when we saw the cars out front. What happened, Elijah?" Damon asked, sounding concerned now that he knew that this was somehow related to us. Why else would Elijah want to reach us? Oh God, what if something had happened to Care and Stef and Ric-
"Little Anna was…taken. Two hours ago, her father managed to escape from custody while they were transporting him here for a medical check-up and then….." he explained, but I was no longer listening. I barely heard a word after I heard that Anna was missing.
Without waiting to hear the rest, I broke free from Damon's hold and ran the rest of the way to the Pediatric Ward, heading straight for her room. Ignoring the presence of other officers who were securing the place, I dodged their obstructive hands and then I was staring straight at an abandoned Raggedy Anne doll that usually accompanied Anna. The little angel never went anywhere without it.
Bending down to the floor, I picked the doll up, running my fingers through the startlingly red hair as I struggled to process the situation. With another sweep of my eyes around the room, I searched for possible clues as to what might have occurred in this very room less than two hours ago. It was then that I saw something that turned my blood cold, proving that my nagging feeling I had been experiencing all day was indeed a bad omen.
I had been waiting all day for the other shoe to drop, only I hadn't counted on it being a literal shoe. I stood there gasping in shock at the sight of Anna's single tiny red sandal left on the floor.
It was obvious that whoever took her, she didn't go willingly.
Twitter: cgsa_cher
KRISTI (tukct81), a thousand apologies on this being another long chapter. I hope you don't regret offering to be my beta. As usual, I owe you everything, from my heartfelt gratitude to three adorable kittens to keep you entertained. Consider this my IOU (I OWE YOU) note.
Random Thoughts: My friends, go and hug your loved ones today. You never know when it might be your last time to do it. Also, hug your pets, your stuffed toys and even your fridge, because to be honest, we've all had a long-term relationship with our fridges since we learnt how to open them by ourselves. Tell your fridge you love it. ;)
Read and R-E-V-I-E-W, if you will. I reply to all personally and I also love receiving threats. (I'm frowning at those who only reads and are about to press the 'X' in the top right corner….GRRRRRR)