Have I mentioned you guys are awesome? 'Cause you are. Thanks for all of the subscriptions and reviews, they mean the world to me. If you're enjoying this, you may want to check out "Well and Truly Broken," an action-packed rewrite of Season 2, or "Those Eyes," my character study of the late, great Andie Starr. Or, just sit back, relax, and enjoy.
It was strange waking up beside him.
There had been more than a few morning when she'd awoken to find Damon lounging in her bed, but this was the first time they'd gone to sleep together in his bed, the overwhelming scent of him everywhere, in the air, on her skin. The first time she really admitted to herself that she was glad to see him.
They'd fallen asleep curled together, but had shifted apart in the night. Elena didn't mind. It gave her a chance to watch him sleep now. It was a strange thing to see someone lie so still: no twitch of heartbeat, no rise and fall of breath.
As a child, Elena had a desperate fear that one of her parents would die in the night. When monsters threatened from her closet and she'd crawled into bed with them, she'd watch their slumbering backs, listened for her father's steady breathing and her mother's soft snoring. Whenever there was a hitch or variation, she'd fling out an arm or a leg, just so they'd move and she could be sure they were alive. Now, she had to fight the urge to give Damon a gentle prod, to nuzzle against his bare chest, just so she could be sure he hadn't vanished in the night.
She considered the man beside her. True to his word, he'd been quite the gentleman last night. They'd held each other, watching the flickering flames and content simply to be until she nodded against his shoulder and he spirited her up to bed.
Truth be told, the idea of having sex (Making love? Sleeping with? She didn't even know the right terminology when he was involved) with Damon terrified her. Not that she didn't want to. After all, he was beautiful, and she did care about (Love? Was that what this was?) him. But he had so much more experience than she did. She wasn't even sure having sex with Matt counted. Those awkward, fumbling encounters had involved a lot of giggling and a lot of fun, but hadn't included many fireworks. And Stefan had always, always held back. He was gentle and soft and considerate to a fault. Sometimes she didn't want to make love—she wanted to be well and truly fucked.
But Damon had probably bedded hundreds (or even thousands?) of women. What if she bored him? What if he thought she was just a little girl trying to play a woman's game?
And what if he had the opposite problem from Stefan? Damon couldn't control himself in any aspect of his life—how could he be expected to hold back in the throes of passion? What if he hurt her? What if he bit her (Or did she want him to?)? All of it left a confused (though not entirely unpleasant) knot in her stomach.
"Like what you see?" A slow smile spread across Damon's face even as his words made Elena jump. "That's what you get for being creepy."
"I wasn't being creepy. Besides, you do it to me all the time." Elena had a disorienting moment of deja vu, but she suppressed the feeling. This wasn't Stefan. Though maybe she should stop watching people sleep.
"How do you know if you were asleep?" His eyes still closed, Damon reached out and pulled her close, burying his head against her neck. "Mmm, why are you awake, anyway? It's way too early."
"I have to be at school early, sign some papers to finalize Jeremy's transfer." She frowned. "Speaking of, I should have heard from him by now..." she rolled away from Damon, fumbling for her phone on the nightstand. He grabbed her arm, arresting the movement.
"No, you shouldn't. His flight didn't leave 'til late, then he had to fly to Atlanta, transfer, and then the red eye to Denver. It'll still be a while." Those bright blue eyes finally opened, full of steel and sympathy. "Klaus is nuts, but he's not going to hijack a plane. Jeremy's going to be fine, Elena."
Elena heaved a sigh, her arm dropping back onto the bed. She let Damon draw her back into his arms. "I know you're right. And I know I shouldn't call him. It'll only make it harder for him to adjust. But I miss him already."
"That's because you're a good sister." He pressed his lips against her hair. "You'll see him again. Maybe it won't be that long until this is all over with."
"Oh, Damon. You're sweet, but let's not start our relationship with lies." She pressed a kiss on the tip of his nose and rolled out of bed.
"Caught me. But I do like it when you call it a relationship. Has a nice ring to it," he smirked.
Elena paused for a moment and turned back towards him. For the first time in days, a real smile spread across her face. "It does, doesn't it?" But the smile didn't last. It faded as a new thought struck. "What are we gonna tell Stefan when he finds out? Because he will find out."
Damon groaned, burying his face in the pillow. "Elena," he whined, "you are such a killjoy." With that disconcerting vampire speed, he was gazing into her face, his hands resting on either cheek. "We will deal with Stefan when the time is right. I don't want to lie to him either. But believe me when I say that Stefan has enough on his mind right now without adding this." A wry smile curved his lips. "Besides, would he really believe that you wanted to be with me?" His thumb stroked her cheek. "I'm still not sure I do."
"Really? I do." She kissed him, a closed mouth peck.
"That wasn't very convincing, Elena."
"Then you're just going to have to wait until I brush my teeth until you get something more convincing. Don't vampires get morning breath?" With a little grin over her shoulder, she disappeared into the bathroom.
Half an hour later, she convinced him. Then she slipped out into the chill dawn.