Author's Note: Sorry for the LONG wait for this update. My country was going through our most important election and we were all so wrapped up with it. The party I was rooting for LOST. And there's a rumor of an upcoming racial clash.*sigh*
Oh well, at least I'm still alive. This might be good news for some and bad news for others. Guess you're gonna have to put up with me for just a little while longer.
A Woman's Worth: Chapter TWENTY TWO
(Damon's POV)
I stood at the entrance of Mystic Falls General, waving at the departing taxi that carried a somber and restless Pearl in it. I wished that I could do or say something that would help to put her mind at ease, but of course nothing helped. The woman just wanted her daughter back safely in her arms.
Sighing wearily, I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the tensed muscles with my fingers as I made my way back into Anna's room. After the intense discussion about Anna's ongoing case with both Elijah and Pearl, I felt as if I hadn't seen Elena for hours. A quick check of my watch proved that to be right.
What was I thinking, leaving Elena on her own, no doubt worried out of her mind for almost two hours?
My steps quickened as I approached the colorful hallway of the Pediatric Department, eager to get back to my lady. As soon as I entered through the doorway, I immediately launched into an apology. "I'm so sorry I took so long, El-"
I broke off mid-word when I was greeted with an empty sofa, and after a thorough perusal, it was obvious that the room was empty as well. I strode to the attached bathroom and poked my head in, failing to locate her. I was trying to stifle the rising panic in my chest by repeating in my head, "She's here somewhere."
I approached the nurses' station, asking as politely as I could if they had seen the attractive brunette who had accompanied me earlier that morning, but they just shook their heads unhelpfully. Not knowing what else to do, I immediately dialed Blondie's number while I hurried down the hallway, peeking into every single room that I passed on my way to look for Elijah.
"Hey, Care, it's me," I greeted as soon as the line connected, not giving her a chance to even form a greeting. "Listen, have you seen Elena or heard from her at all since we left this morning?"
"No, I haven't. Aren't you guys together at the hospital?"
My heart sank with disappointment at her answer but I refused to let myself go into a full-fledged panic mode. "Yeah, I was with Anna's mom and then when I went back….you know what? Maybe she's in the bathroom. I'll call you later," I said distractedly and hung up, not wanting to cause anymore drama when there was probably no drama to be found. For all I knew, Elena could be getting some food or drink while waiting for me.
For all I knew, I could be over-reacting.
I made my way to the cafeteria, my eyes still sweeping through the crowd for her as I half-ran along the busy corridors. I spent a total of thirty minutes searching through the entire building before I finally allowed myself to freak out a little with her prolonged absence. I caught sight of Elijah and made a beeline for him.
"Elijah," I hissed urgently, yanking at his arm to pull him aside, ignoring the man he was in the midst of conversation with. "Elena's missing. I can't find her anywhere."
"What?" his eyes narrowed on me as he pinched the bridge of his nose, probably thinking that I was being over-protective again, which I could very well be, but this was Elena we're talking about. A quick study of my expression and he could tell how utterly serious I was being. "What do you mean she's missing? I thought she was just here?"
Shaking my head in exasperation, I heaved a loud sigh, trying not to lose my patience with my friend who didn't seem to understand the severity of the situation. In hindsight, I probably should have been more sympathetic to the guy, seeing as he had been working through the night to look for my other charge, but I was not of sound mind at that moment.
"I told you, I couldn't find her anywhere. She was supposed to stay put in Anna's room. I've been there and I even went to the cafeteria and looked into every room. She's nowhere to be found," I explained urgently, and then my eyes landed on the officer whom I had conveyed my message to. "Hey, you! Did you tell my girlfriend to stay put and not leave like I asked you to?" I demanded, catching him off guard at my unexpected raised voice.
"Yeah, yeah I did. I repeated everything you said exactly like you told me to," he replied hastily, blinking slowly at me as if I had lost my mind. Perhaps I had.
"Then why isn't she there? Do you know where she is? Did she say anything about leaving? Did she say anything at all?" I fired the questions rapidly without waiting for his response. "Can you do anything besides blink?!"
I felt a hand grabbing my arm and pulling me back, making me realize that I had unknowingly moved threateningly closer to the officer in question. Looking back at the owner of the hand, I saw Elijah's anxious brown eyes on me, his gaze sending me a warning to calm the fuck down.
"We'll look for her together, okay? I'm sure you just missed her while you were running around the hospital. Maybe she just went to the bathroom or got some coffee and is now waiting for you right where you left her. Come on," he said, his hand pulling me firmly along behind him even as I flashed another disgruntled look at the officer I was yelling at.
Incompetent fool!
"Did you try calling her?" he asked after a while.
"She doesn't have a phone, remember? It didn't occur to me that she might need one because I was with her all the time, which was stupid of me, of course," I answered in a bitter tone. Really, it was a major oversight on my part, because it should have been the first thing I thought of after Rapewood broke hers.
Rapewood.
I froze in my tracks as a chill came over me, my legs refusing to budge. Oh God, what if he took her?
"What is it? Do you see her?" Elijah asked when he noticed that I was no longer beside him, his head swiveling left and right to seek for a possible reason for my sudden standstill.
"Mason," I managed to choke out, my face turning ashen when I voiced his name out loud. My gaze met his and I could tell when the same horrifying thought dawned on him, so together, we rushed over to the Pediatric Department; Elijah heading straight over to the nurses' station to ask if they had seen a man bearing Rapewood's description while I returned to Anna's room to look for any sign of struggle.
I didn't expect to see Elena anywhere in the room, but I was still disappointed when I didn't find her familiar figure sitting on the couch where I left her. Upon further inspection, there didn't seem to be anything out of place, but that could mean so many things. She could be anywhere by now!
"No sign of Lockwood or anyone who looks like him," the detective said upon entering the room behind me. "Maybe she got tired and left?"
"No, she wouldn't just leave without telling me. Besides, how would she-?" I trailed off with a frown when another thought occurred to me, my hands automatically reaching into my pockets to find that the keys weren't with me. "The car!"
Ignoring Elijah's puzzled gaze, I pushed past him and sprinted to the car park, racking my brain to recall where she had parked the Camaro this morning. I must have covered the entire area before I finally allowed myself to admit that not only was my girl gone, but so was my car. Maybe my buddy was right; perhaps Elena really did go home.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket again, I redialed the last number and waited, feeling so incredibly exhausted all of a sudden. All I wanted to do now was to find Elena, cuff her to me, curl up next to her and just sleep for days.
"Hey, Care. Please tell me that Elena's at home now," I breathed out, fully expecting her to confirm my suspicions.
"Nope, I still haven't seen her. Damon, how the hell can you lose a fully grown woman?"
It was a fair question and one that I had no answers for. At Elijah's inquiring look, I shook my head sadly, prompting him to make his own phone call. I was only half-listening to the squeaks coming in an increasingly higher pitch from the other end of the line while I eavesdropped on Elijah's conversation.
"…..APB on a '69 blue convertible Chevrolet Camaro with the license plate Golf Bravo Delta Six Charlie One Eight, suspected to be driven by a twenty-one year old brunette named Elena Gilbert who is also missing. Last seen at the Mystic Falls General and then-" he stopped, his brows furrowed.
"Yes I did. Elena Gilbert," he repeated, his eyes now meeting mine as he listened in disbelief. "She is?"
My heart started racing in anticipation while I watched his expression, trying to figure out from his one-sided conversation if I should be relieved or even more nervous. At this point, I was no longer listening to Caroline so I rudely hung up in order to focus all my attention on the man in front of me.
"Well I'll be damned," he muttered under his breath, further increasing my alarm.
Was she hurt? Was she kidnapped? Was she okay? Where the hell could she be? "Talk to me, Elijah! Did you find her?" I demanded when he finally hung up, my patience wearing thin.
"Come on, we gotta go to the station. Your girl is fine. She's….I can't believe I'm going to say this, but she just made a report against Mason Lockwood," he explained in a daze as he started to lead me to his car.
She what?!
Shock. Confusion. Pride. Frustration. Relief. Joy.
Those were all the emotions that were running through me as I stepped into the busy police station with my best friend right beside me. Seeing my blue Camaro parked in front of the entrance set my nerves at ease, knowing that Elena was somewhere inside this building. To think that one tiny brunette were able to evoke so many emotions at once was something that never happened to me before.
I wanted to lecture her and kiss her to death at the same time.
I was ordered to wait at the side while Elijah made enquiries to find out the whereabouts of my elusive girlfriend, and I was in the midst of pacing a hole onto the tiled floor of the station when a door opened at the end of a long and narrow corridor. Two men exited from the room followed by a pale figure with red-rimmed eyes.
My Elena.
Before I knew it, I was yelling out her name with such relief, my legs automatically carrying me towards her. When she lifted her wet brown eyes to mine in the distance, her face immediately crumpled as soon as she saw me, her own body jerking her forward towards me. The moment felt dramatic, almost, the way we reached for each other in slow motion like one of those cheesy romance flicks from the 70s.
Before I could reach her, however, she was hijacked from me…by someone I didn't expect.
I didn't know who was more stunned; myself or her when Elijah enclosed her in his arms just a few seconds before I could, and he was mumbling about how proud he was of her for being so brave, for having the courage to finally speak up, and for scaring the hell out of him at the same time.
That idiot! First he hijacked my hug, and then he stole the words right out of my mouth?! Oh, hell no!
I couldn't believe my eyes when Elena - while stunned at first at being embraced by this guy whom she had always maintained a healthy distance from – returned his hug with a soft chuckle, her own hands coming to wrap around his back.
"Thank you, Elijah, and I'm sorry that I scared you," she replied, sighing into his shoulders.
"But Elena, he has a penis!" I blurted out much louder than I intended, attracting the attention of the people around us, judging by the immediate drop in noise level in the room following my outburst. "I mean, it's attached to him and everything!"
I could have sworn that the words made more sense in my head than it did when spoken out loud. Scattered laughter could be heard in the room, but I was more interested in why my girlfriend was suddenly comfortable being in an embrace with another guy who wasn't me. I thought I was the only penis she was at ease with, but still, I felt rather proud that she was beginning to move past that limited-edition penis issue.
Perhaps I would start making sense as soon as I had some sleep and not running on fumes. It had been a rather dramatic weekend for me.
"Why, thank you, Damon. My colleagues had no idea I was a man with that particular appendage until you saw fit to announce it to them," Elijah quipped with an exasperated look after he released Elena, turning to her to say, "Your boyfriend had a little panic attack when he couldn't find you earlier. Such a drama queen, that one." With a roll of his eyes, he turned her towards me and gave her shoulders a slight push in my direction.
"Damon," she called out softly, her chin quivering suspiciously as if she was trying to hold back her laughter. "I'm okay, really."
And then she was flying into my arms, my hands catching her as she crashed hard into my body, her head burrowed into my neck as I pressed her closer. She was okay, just like she said. I was almost out of my mind with worry, thinking that I might never see her again, and now I was holding her, my palm cradling the back of her head while the other caressed her back.
"Thank God you're safe," I whispered, weak with relief. "I really thought that I had lost you, too."
"Never." Pulling back to peer up at me, she gave me a weak smile before glancing around us, beginning to notice the unwanted and curious attention on our exchange. "Any update on Anna?"
I shook my head sadly, flashing a grim smile at her when she looked worried. "At this point, no news is good news, I think. Elijah's going to concentrate on the investigation and we'll know once he finds something, okay?"
She bit her lower lip anxiously, but seemed to accept my optimistic reply. "Okay, I guess we'll just have to wait. Can we go home now?"
I shot an inquiring look over to Elijah, who conferred briefly with the two officers who had been in the room with Elena, and then he nodded, just once, signaling that we were free to go. "Yes, let's go but you have a lot of explaining to do, missy!"
She had the gall to look a little sheepish before nodding in resignation, allowing me to lead her back to my car.
My car!
In the midst of the chaos in the case of the missing girlfriend, I had forgotten to be worried about my beloved Camaro. In fact, I was positively aghast that the thought of not seeing it again had never even crossed my mind. I grasped Elena's hand firmly and pulled her along until we were both standing beside my metal beauty.
"Oh, Chiquita, am I glad to see you," I breathed out as I reached over to run my hand lovingly along the top. Giving it an approving pat after resting my cheek against the sleek surface, I immediately pinned Elena against the side of the door and kissed her soundly, catching her by surprise.
"W-wha-?"
"Sorry, I couldn't wait until we get home to do that," I told her in a low voice, staring intently into her wide eyes. "I was so afraid that I wouldn't have the chance to do that again. You, Miss Gilbert, are responsible for the massive heart attack I suffered back at the hospital!"
Of course I felt a little upset that she went ahead and made such a big decision without first discussing it with me. Was it wrong that I wanted to be there for her, to support her if and when she decided to lodge a report against Lockwood? I definitely didn't count on her having a sudden change of heart. And why go through it all alone without any support system to cheer her on? I wouldn't even mind if she had Caroline with her, but for some reason, she decided to do it all on her own.
My heart ached for the girl in my arms.
But then she raised her guilt-filled eyes to mine, and suddenly I couldn't even remember why I was so cranky. It was obvious that she had been through hell and back during her time at the station, talking about her pain and reliving all the memories. I could see it, the toll the entire experience had taken on her, and I felt even crappier for letting her think that she had anything to feel guilty about.
Shame on you, Damon Salvatore. What a dick!
"I'm really sorry, but I didn't want to pull you away from Pearl. You guys were so worried about Anna and she needed you more, and I didn't want to waste anymore time, in case….well, in case I lost my nerves to go through with it. I'm so sor-" she began to explain, but I hurriedly pressed her cheeks together with my fingers, creating a comical lip pucker to stop her from apologizing. She had nothing to be sorry for, and I wanted her to know that.
Plus, she looked like an adorable little baby bird like that.
"Shh, Elena," I said soothingly, wanting to comfort her. "You have nothing to apologize for, really. You took me by surprise with the sudden one-eighty, that's all. I'm just…I wish that I could have been there for you."
She totally caught me off guard when she raised her own hands to clasp my cheeks, squishing them together before leaning up to press her lips to my puckered ones softly, sweetly while holding me in place. "You were, Damon," she declared shyly when we released each other, both stretching our jaw muscles. "It was your voice that I heard in my head as I was climbing up those steps to do the hardest thing I've ever had to do. You were telling me to be strong, and all I wanted was to make you proud of me."
Sighing deeply, all I could do was to wrap her up in my arms and squeeze her tightly, trying valiantly to control my rapidly expanding pride-filled heart. "I am proud of you, babe. I have always been proud of you, like the way you've picked yourself up and survived despite everything that's happened. The way you've found a way to smile everyday and how you've brought our little family together. Hell, I'm sure in one weird way or another, you're probably also responsible for little Steffy happily losing his virginity to Caroline!"
In my eagerness to prove just how much Elena meant to me, I probably should have used that little thing called a mental filter but it was too late; the cat was out of the bag. I realized my mistake the instant she stiffened and pulled back to gape at me in shock.
"Your brother Stef? V-virgin? And Care?" she gasped in confusion and just like that, our romantic reunion was over. She burst out laughing right then, her palm slapped over her mouth as her shoulders shook helplessly. "They're so sneaky! When did they even start seeing each other?"
Okay, this wasn't what I had in mind. There were still so many things I needed to find out from Elena, especially about her unexpected change of heart and newfound willingness to talk about the attack. But I supposed that that particular conversation could wait until we reached the privacy of her bedroom, surrounded by her teddy bear and Pig; all the things she loves and would feel safe with.
"Uh uh," I said, shaking my head. "You are not supposed to rejoice at this highly disturbing and potentially traumatizing news. But if you'll take a blood oath not to disappear from my sight again or wander off by yourself, making life-altering decisions and going to highly dangerous places like the police station, then I promise I'll tell you all about the deflowerment of my brother, deal? I'll even throw in some visual aids while I tell you the story."
At some point, I should have realized that I was talking rather loudly in a very public place and right in front of the supposedly 'highly dangerous place' I was referring to, but I was just so darned happy to see Elena again that it didn't matter if I was getting side-eyed by some of the population of Mystic Falls.
"A blood oath? Can't I just seal it with a kiss instead? And I'm not entirely sure I want to know about your brother's cherry-popping process, either. I'm just relieved to know that he's straight, after all," she said, her expression one of uncertainty.
"Yeah, I've wondered about that myself in the past. Personally, I think it's the hair," I quipped, unable to resist such an obvious opportunity for a jibe at my bro. "Fine, a toe-curling kiss it shall be, my lady. Now we better get out of here before Elijah arrests us for excessive public display of affection. We'll talk more when we get home, okay? We just have one pit stop to make first," I informed her as I unlocked her side of the car door and waited for her to get in before running over to enter through the driver's side.
At her inquiring gaze, I simply flashed her a sly grin and reversed the car, keeping my lips sealed shut for once. I didn't want her to put up a fuss for what I had in mind, knowing how she felt about me spending money on her.
Dating independent women can be such a major turn-on and a massive headache at the same time. It is also magnified a thousand times more when one's running on zero hours of sleep in the last thirty hours.
Crap, I probably shouldn't even be driving, huh?
(Elena's POV)
It had been a heavy and emotional day, and frankly, I was drained of energy by the time Damon and I got home. The pit stop that he had in mind proved to be another one of the day's events that contributed to the overall exhaustion I was feeling.
Our arrival at the mansion was yet another one; as soon as I walked through the door, I found myself wrapped in the tightest hug ever from my blonde best friend who didn't hesitate to berate me for my 'Houdini' act. I guess people really don't like it if I go poof for an hour or two without telling anybody.
All through dinner, Damon and I were subjected to Caroline's lengthy sermon, her hand actions growing more and more animated the longer she spoke, complaining about our actions giving her worry lines.
"I mean, you could have informed me, Elena! I'm only like your very best friend who has stuck with you through thick and thin since we were munchkin sized! We used to tell each other everything! How can you just make this huge decision without telling me first? I could have gone to the station with you! I could have held your hand and offered you my support as you conveyed to the cops how big of a jerk Mason is! I could have been your witness! We would have been like Team Erin Brockovich or something cool like that, you know?" she had ranted with increasing volume as we sat unmoving with our heads lowered, unwilling to meet her eyes.
"And you!" she addressed Damon, her eyes flashing with frustration. "I trusted you with my best friend because I thought that you could keep an eye on her, but what did you do? You lost her, that's what you did! And, you hung up on me…twice! Can you understand how worried I have been, waiting here, not knowing anything? Can you possibly understand the frustration I felt at being rendered helpless? You guys don't tell me anything anymore, so how do you expect me to trust you when it comes to Elena's well-being?"
In Damon's defense, I had to give him props for remaining silent while my best friend tore into him like that. I knew that he was tired from the lack of sleep and also from all the worrying and panicking he was doing all day. Despite that, the poor man stubbornly refused to let go of my hand even though he was stifling his yawns at the dining table and trying not to nod off.
"We're sorry, Care, but we didn't mean to alienate you. To be fair, I scared the hell out of Damon too when I took off without telling him. It's not his fault, and it's not like you tell me everything that's happened to you, either," I spoke up when she finally paused long enough to breathe.
"W-what do you mean?" she asked, her brows furrowing.
"I know about you and Stefan, Care!" I burst out, staring accusingly at her, amused when her face reddened. Right beside her, the quiet Stefan suddenly became very engrossed with the swirly patterns on the table cloth.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," she shrugged awkwardly as she slid her eyes over to glare at my boyfriend.
Crossing my arms at her denial, I decided to confront the entire situation so that Damon and I could retire to my room at the earliest possible moment. "Oh, really? So you're saying that you didn't take Stefan's virginity, and the fact that you two have been hooking up behind our backs is not true?"
At the mention of the v-word, Stefan released a choking sound and snapped his head up to glance up at me and then his older brother and then back to me again before muttering something that sounded like "Abort, abort," to the woman beside him, looking very much like he wanted to disappear from the room.
I actually thought that they made a cute couple, especially when they both turned beet red simultaneously. They even have matching blushes.
"Okay," Caroline clapped her hands together once as she stood up, plastering a fake bright smile on her face, a familiar sight that suggested that the conversation was over and should never be brought up again. "So I'm glad that we got to clear the air between us. You know, I really do feel like we've all bonded, don't you? It's great to clear the air once in a while, right? Umm, I'm sure you both are tired and need some alone time now, so I'm just gonna….." she trailed off nervously, all the while slowly retreating from the dining room. After an awkward pause, she suddenly raised her phone to her ear without any of us hearing it ring. "Hello? Mom! You need me home? Right this second? An emergency, you say?"
With a wave, she promptly exited through the front doors and left the three of us staring after her in various degrees of amusement.
"Isn't she just awesome?" Stefan breathed out all of a sudden, drawing our attention to his goofy grin. As if he only just realized that he was left alone under our scrutiny, he hastily stood up and cleared the table, mumbling about it being his turn to do the dishes.
Damon and I shared a knowing look and a chuckle at the newest couple's expense and proceeded to sneak upstairs, grateful that we had successfully survived the wrath of one Caroline Forbes. He walked me to my bedroom door, kissed me on both cheeks, my nose and then finally, buried his lips onto mine, pressing me against the hard door. Then, he disappeared into his own room and I was left to my own devices, much to my disappointment.
I took a long soak in the bathtub, letting the warm water ease my tensed muscles and fogging up the room. Then I spent a ridiculous amount of time just standing in front of the mirror, staring hard at myself, looking for a sign of change, anything that may have resulted from my confession at the station earlier. Physically, I still looked the same, but there was a lift to my chin as I studied myself, my eyes shining brighter than when I had left this morning. They didn't seem as dead anymore, and I could see a glimmer of hope in them.
Inwardly, it seemed as if I was a thousand times lighter. Of course I meant in terms of weight, not the color of my insides. Eww.
An odd 'ping' sound drew my attention away from my random thoughts, and I cocked my head to the side to listen intently for the unfamiliar sound. It came again, and then I was instantly standing next to my bed, my eyes focused on the black rectangular thing on top of the pillow. Reaching out to pick it up, I ran my thumb over the surface and scanned the image that appeared on it.
NEW MESSAGE FROM DAMON S.:
Just popped your new phone's cherry ;)
It was the very first text message I had received on the new phone. I couldn't help the smile that appeared unbidden on my face at his message and the cheeky nature of it. I thought that he would have been unconscious by now if he managed to even make it as far as his own room, but apparently, he was wide awake and feeling playful, even.
I had to roll my eyes at the reminder of my new phone that he insisted to buy for me, hence the reason for his pit stop earlier at a cell phone store in town. Despite my many objections and stamping of feet, he had argued back that I needed a replacement and that I had a choice; either accept the latest iPhone model as an early Valentine's Day gift or we were heading over to the sex shop to buy shackles or handcuffs so that I wouldn't stray far from him again.
Needless to say, our bickering provided an entertaining afternoon to the salesperson and the patrons surrounding us. No points for guessing which option I opted for, though.
NEW MESSAGE FROM DAMON S.:
So, what are you wearing?
Apparently, it was impossible not to shake my head when it came to my boyfriend. Heaving a deep breath as I took a quick glance down at my oversized tee-shirt and baggy sweatpants, I fell backwards onto my bed, bouncing slightly as I laid spread-eagled in the middle of it. I lifted the phone and typed up a reply.
SENT MESSAGE TO DAMON S.:
Nothing but a lace negligee and perfume…
It didn't take long for his reply to come through. Considering the emotional day that I've had, I was surprisingly giggly when I read his response.
NEW MESSAGE FROM DAMON S.:
What a coincidence! That's EXACTLY what I have on!
Knock, knock, knock.
The three raps that came through my bedroom door startled me, but I quickly called out, "Come in," half-expecting to see a man in pink lace. When the door swung open, the devilishly handsome blue-eyed man was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, emphasizing his muscular arms, no lace in sight. A pudgy pug breezed in from between his legs to jump up onto the bed to greet me with a wet tongue-bath on my chin.
"Liar," Damon accused with a familiar smirk before making his way into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Hello, Pot. I am Kettle but my close friends call me Black."
My eyes roamed over his version of pjs, similar to what he wore the night before. My thoughts took a turn to the naughty side as I replayed our impromptu make-out session in bed the night before, in every graphic colorful detail in full HD. It didn't help when he took a seat beside me and presented me with a close-up view of his impossibly long lashes and mouth-watering lips.
"You know, I actually think you look sexier this way, all covered up, leaving everything to the imagination," he grinned, leaning back on the pillows behind him as he gathered me close, his head burrowing just below my jaw line. "Mmm, but you weren't lying about the perfume."
My brows furrowed, thinking about how exhausted he must be if he smelt something other than dog drool. "I was kidding about the perfume. I'm not wearing any."
"I know," he whispered into my neck, inhaling deeply before pulling back to peer at my face. "Is it okay if I spend another night here? I don't think I can sleep all alone in my own bed. It's so lonely and cold there," he said in a hopeful tone. "My bed kinda sucks nowadays."
I smiled to myself, feeling touched that he would prefer to be with me considering that he seemed about ready to drop at any moment, judging by the dark circles under his eyes. He didn't appear to have any trouble at all drifting off to sleep, even if he was standing upright. "Of course you can, Damon. It's lonely and cold here without you, too. Besides, I think I owe you an explanation, remember?"
"Ah yes, your little 'prison break' episode today," he sighed heavily as he dropped his head onto my shoulder, his body coiling around me as if I was his personal bolster. My hand reached up to curl around his neck, playing with his hair with my fingers, the ends still damp from his shower. He released a low satisfied grunt as he nuzzled closer, throwing an arm and a leg over me, trapping me under him as if he was afraid I would disappear again.
It felt safe, secure, like a warm cocoon I never wanted to leave from. It was rather scary how quickly I got used to his presence in my bed at night. It felt like we'd been doing this for years rather than mere days - two, to be exact. There was a deeper sense of comfort with him tonight, a level of intimacy that far surpassed what we shared last night, even. There had been a shift in our relationship, on my part, mostly, but it was a significant change. Perhaps my trip to the police station had been more than merely doing the right thing.
I felt…free.
"My decision this morning was something that I felt was very personal, and it wasn't that I didn't want you there with me, but it was more of a…journey that I felt I had to take on my own. Plus, you were already so stressed out from Anna's case that I didn't want to burden you any further. She deserves to have your full attention. I guess I thought that I should test out my courage without a safety net, see if I can rediscover my inner warrior, the one that had been buried inside me ever since my parents died. And I did it," I announced rather proudly, my mind doing a mental backflip and fist pump in the air.
Okay, maybe I didn't want to physically move to do it because I was so darn comfortable where I was.
"You bet your sweet little hiney you did it, my warrior princess. You have no idea how proud I am of you! Even Elijah's proud, seeing as he stole my hug and my opening words of support, that thief!" he added begrudgingly, raising his hand so that his fingers linked with mine. "So, why the sudden change of heart? Did something happen at the hospital when I left you alone?"
I nodded, my chin brushing against his forehead. "Pearl happened. She said some things that resonated with me so deeply that I could no longer ignore what I had to do. She told me about her past mistakes when it came to dealing with her ex-husband, and what she wished she had done, the choices she should have made with regards to Anna. I guess I just saw something in her story that applies to mine, and it was a split decision that I made in that moment."
"You mean to tell me that all this time I was trying to get you to open up, all I had to do was to introduce you to Pearl?" he exclaimed incredulously, groaning against my chest. "Now why didn't I think of that sooner?"
"No," I told him, not surprised that he would come to that conclusion. It wasn't as black and white as that. "It was a culmination of several things that happened recently; that group therapy session in Richmond, Anna's sudden disappearance, my little conversation with Pearl and most of all, it was also where I am with you. Our relationship and your untiring support have made me face a few hard truths that I wasn't ready to face before, and all of that just made it seem like the right timing."
Damon was quiet for a long time that I thought that he had fallen asleep on me, but I couldn't be sure since I could only see the top of his attractive head. I swear there isn't one unattractive part of his body at all. I bet even his ear wax is sexy.
"So will you ever tell me the whole story of what happened? I mean, I know what happened, but I would like to hear your version of how you remember it," he said softly.
Oh God, I couldn't tell him right then even if I wanted to. I already had to relive the horrible experience once today, in front of two strangers who were staring at me the whole time with sympathetic eyes. I actually found it easier to tell it to people I didn't know personally than to someone whom I know I would hurt deeply by recounting the story.
It might have been therapeutic for me to talk about it openly, but at the risk of making Damon unhappy and angry on my behalf? It didn't seem to be the right time to do it, not after the day he'd had. Anyway, he needed to rest. It was a whole other day tomorrow and he still had tons to deal with.
"And I promise I'll tell you, but not now, okay? You need to sleep, Damon, and delving into the whole thing now would just keep us up for hours, right?" I answered gently, willing him to understand that it wasn't a matter of not being able to open up to him, but more of a matter of timing.
"I-I actually have this plan to organize our own 'Unsilenced' group right here in Mystic Falls. We could gather all the previous victims and the current ones together, and share our stories. I want to break my silence on my experience by being the first to speak and hope that I can inspire others to do the same. I want to help as many people as I possibly can with my story, and why do it all the way in Richmond when I can do it in my own hometown?"
"Really?" he asked eagerly as he lifted his head to examine my face, gauging to see how serious I was with my latest plan. "That would be amazing! Ric would be so damn happy to hear that, and think about all the people we can reach out to with your survival story. I think it's a great idea," he gushed merrily, leaning in to smack his lips against mine loudly, and then resumed his previous position, practically climbing on top of me.
He was sort of heavy as he slowly relaxed onto my body, but I enjoyed feeling his weight and warmth on me. I resumed stroking the back of his neck with my fingers, teasing his hair. My other hand turned his hand faced up and traced random patterns on his palm, moving slowly and gently. It was just one of those moments where I felt an overwhelming urge to convey all the love I felt for him, to be as close as I possibly could to him.
I wanted to do more than just cuddling and exchanging innocent kisses with him. I wanted to make passionate love to this man whom I love with my entire being, the man who is so unfailingly patient with me, so sweet and thoughtful with my emotional state. If it hadn't been for last night's brief episode that featured Mason in the midst of an intimate moment with Damon, I would have braved another attempt to surrender completely to the man I love more than my own life.
"Damon?" I murmured, tipping my head down to catch any sign of movement from the still man above me. When he didn't respond, I started noticing the way his breathing pattern had changed and he was most likely, asleep.
My poor weary prince. I pressed my lips on the top of his head and cradled him tighter, sighing in satisfaction when he, too, snuggled even closer to me unconsciously. "I promise I'll be ready very soon, and when I am, you better be prepared for me to rock your world, Damon Salvatore," I vowed with a whisper before closing my eyes and let sleep claim me.
"Yes, that's exactly how I like to hold it," Damon's deep voice reverberated in my ear as he pressed himself against my back, our bodies touching from our heads to our knees. "Hold it firmly, feel the weight in your hand, and don't be afraid to show it who's boss."
I let my eyes drift close and leaned back against his hard body, his arms both wrapped around me, his fingers guiding mine as I grasped his weapon in my hand. With his breath tickling my sensitive ear, and the way he was standing so close to me, I couldn't help but to squeeze a little too hard, causing him to wince when he felt my fingers tightening around his.
"Hey, hey, ease up, babe. It's not a pressure ball. You have to treat it gently, but firmly, always remember that it's an extension of your hand, not some toy you just happen to be holding. Also, you want to squeeze it gently, not pull hard. Like this," he instructed, showing me exactly how it's done.
My eyes now wide open, I watched with fascination as he demonstrated with his own fingers wrapped around the grip frame, his forefinger looping through the trigger guard. I had a healthy respect for all types of weapons, especially ones that could create holes in people's bodies.
Damon had taken me to the local outdoor shooting range, right after another quick check-in with Elijah and Pearl at her hotel. He thought that it might be a good idea to start training me to be familiar with his licensed pistol kept securely in his bedside drawer. He probably expected me to start carrying it around in my purse, right next to the iPhone he got me yesterday.
We had woken up that morning in a tangle of limbs; him spooning me from behind, his arm around my waist while I spooned a snoring pug, her drool spilling all over my sheet. I supposed the three of us provided an adorable sight for anyone watching, but it was doubly cute when we woke up to find Mr. Cuddles being all snug and comfortable between Pig's paws. We were like the spooning foursome.
"I got it. Can we shoot something now?" I asked eagerly, impatient to go all action movie-star-like. "I really want to hurt that piece of paper real bad."
I gestured to the target placed in the distance, in front of a wall of stacked sandbags. He nodded his approval and we both placed our ear muffs and transparent eye covers on. I pointed the gun in my right hand, closing an eye as I aimed it straight for the black and white target with a bulls-eye picture on it. I placed my finger on the trigger and squeezed, and then I was propelled backwards when it went off, the force of the shot knocking my aim off.
Luckily, Damon was standing right behind me and caught me in time before I had another one of my klutzy moments.
"Woah, that was….awful. Did I hit anything?" I asked, squinting into the distance.
"Well, let's just say that I hope there wasn't an airplane or a bird that happened to be flying by when you shot that thing."
Whoops, I thought as I turned my head upwards, expecting to see a poor feathered friend or a huge metal bird falling from the sky. Maybe I got lucky with the self defense thing, and perhaps guns were not my thing, after all. I could carry a pocket knife around; at least they are less bulky than a pistol.
"Relax, I don't think you killed anyone…..yet," he teased, propping me up in position again, obviously expecting me to take another shot.
"Maybe I should stick with hand-to-hand combat. I mean, I don't want to accidentally shoot anything, even birds," I declared, my eyes still scouring the skies guiltily.
"Again," he prodded firmly, so I tensed my body up, aiming the gun with both my hands this time, and again, the impact of the shot made me rear backwards. "Yeah, you know what? I'm thinking nunchucks for you so that we can protect all flying creatures."
I swatted his arm playfully at his insulting insinuation but I privately agreed with him. But at least I learnt something about guns; like how we don't exactly mix well together and I was crap at it. So, for the sake of all airborne living creatures, I dutifully passed the gun back to him.
I watched in silent admiration as he took my place, hesitating for only two seconds as he took aim and fired four consecutive shots, the deafening sound ringing in my ears despite the ear muffs. When he pulled the targets towards us with a push of a button, I could see that all four of his shots actually landed within the bulls-eye area.
"Show off," I muttered once we removed the muffs after seeing his smug expression.
Any retort from him was temporarily postponed when his phone vibrated in his pocket, so we quickly made our way back indoors to return the gears as Damon answered the call.
"Hey Elijah," he greeted straightaway. "An update already?"
I waited impatiently as he frowned while listening to Elijah's voice on the other end. "The good news first, I guess," I heard him say as he flashed a puzzled look at me. "But that's great! Did he confess to anything?"
I bounced on the balls of my feet at the sight of the wide grin spreading across his face, and I felt hopeful for once. I didn't know if this was news of Mason or of Anna, but either way, anything that could make Damon smile broadly was a huge plus in my eyes.
He released a snort and then gave a roll of his bright blue eyes. "Figures that the coward would hide behind his lawyer! Okay, what about the bad news?"
Once again, I had to wait patiently to attempt a guess at the second news from Damon's reaction, but he only seemed more and more confused as he listened silently.
"What does that mean, exactly? How is one related to the other?"
This time, I couldn't make heads or tails out of that reply, so I just had to grit my teeth and try not to tear my hair out.
"Okay, thanks for the updates, Elijah, but I should clue Elena in before she grinds all her teeth off or something," he told his best friend and hung up after a quick goodbye.
"Tell me," I prompted without any preamble.
Pursing his lips, Damon regarded me with interest before shooting me a question that came out of left field. "Does Lockwood know Anna's father personally? I mean, are they friends or have had any business dealings in the past?"
Puzzled beyond words now, my forehead creased as I wracked my head for an answer. "I-I'm not sure. I don't think so, at least I haven't heard Mason mention Alan's name before. Why?"
"Elijah just told me the strangest thing. The good news is that they have already picked Lockwood up and he's in their custody right now and will be formally charged soon. Not surprisingly, he denied all allegations and insisted that anything sexual that happened was completely consensual. He's threatening to countersue for defamation of character and for causing 'emotional trauma'," he explained, his fingers lifted up to indicate the quote-unquote action.
"Of course he did," I answered with a shake of my head. Classic Mason; always trying to pin the blame on anyone else but himself. "What about the other thing?"
"Well, after some investigation on that bastard Alan, the police found a record of his visitors over the last few months and guess whose name recently appeared among the list?"
Holy shit. "Mason?" I gasped out, connecting the dots from his earlier question.
"Mason," he confirmed, nodding his head.
Holy shit multiplied by a hundred.
My twitter: cgsa_cher
KRISTI (tukct81), I keep repeating my gratitude to you in the same manner at the end of my chapters. Am I boring you yet? Are you tempted to yell out, "I heard you the first time!"? So, in order to change things up, I have decided to plan a trip to visit you in US one day. We can have a girl's night out and party until the wee hours, like until 9p.m.
Come on, you and I both know that we suck at partying hard, and would rather just chill out in our pjs and drink smoothies instead while watching cute animals on TV and crying over Hachi. Deal? ;)
As for my beloved regular readers and reviewers, thank you for sticking with this story! It's ending soon, I promise! You will all be rid of me really soon! So please continue to leave me your thoughts and we will chat more!