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It's A Boy Girl Thing
Ch 17. The Deciding Factor
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Damon climbs the tree between his and Elena's bedrooms when he gets home. He walked all the way from Caroline's because he didn't want to risk driving Elena's car while semi-intoxicated. He's sure she'll be proud of him when she hears that. Only thing is...he can't seem to get his bedroom window open so that he can tell her.
"What the hell?" Damon mutters under his breath as he peers inside the dark bedroom at the clock on the night stand. It's midnight, so he can't be too mad at Elena for being asleep right now. He can, however, be a little irritated with her for locking the window. How was he supposed to get in during emergency situations, like this one, and talk to her?
Damon tries knocking quietly on the window to wake her up, but she doesn't stir. Her back is facing the window anyways, so for all he knows, she could be lying awake in bed simply pretending to be asleep so that he'll go away. Is she that mad at me?
Sighing, Damon gives up and retreats to Elena's bedroom, kicking off her sneakers before climbing into bed. He sends Elena quick text asking her why she locked him out, but when she doesn't reply right away, he falls asleep. It seems red wine makes him very, very sleepy.
In the morning, Damon hopes to wake up to a text from Elena, but he is disappointed to find she did not reply. He decides to send her another text, this one about something he's sure she'll have a reaction to: Caroline found out about the switch last night. She knows I'm not you.
Damon is shocked at her reply: Thanks for telling me. Is that all?
Damon frowns at the phone for a few seconds and then rolls his eyes in annoyance. He can't believe she's brushing him off, like she's not even going to talk to him at all. He debates climbing over to the window and pounding on it until she lets him in, but then settles on a phone call.
"Hello?" Elena answers, pretending not to notice that it is Damon calling her. She doesn't want to talk to him right now. She just wants to give him time to figure out what he wants. Why doesn't he get that?
"Why are you avoiding me?" Damon asks, getting straight to the point. "I need to talk to you."
"Well, I don't think that's a good idea," Elena insists, "I think you should just stay away from me for a while...until you know what you want with Katherine." She takes a deep breath after admitting that's why she's been avoiding him, although honestly, she thought it was obvious. Then she goes on quickly to say, "You didn't want to talk to me yesterday, when I wanted to talk, so why do you want to now? I can't help you decide what to do about Katherine, Damon, that's your business. And I don't want to be involved any more than I already am. It's just -"
"I know," Damon cuts in, growling a little in his frustration at not getting a word in edge-wise. "I know, I'm a dick, I'm sorry. But I promise I won't talk about Katherine. I just want to talk to you." After a pause, he adds, "Actually, it might be a little about Katherine, but mostly about you, I swear."
Elena sighs loudly, "Not interested."
Before Damon can protest and demand her to listen, he hears the distinct click of the line disconnecting. She hung up on him. What the fuck?! Damon squeezes the phone tightly in his hand before throwing it across the room, huffing even more when it lands on the bed instead of smashing into the wall, like he'd wanted it to. Girls are so fucking frustrating! They say guys don't listen? Yeah right! Girls are the ones who don't want to listen! They're too busy thinking they know everything, and that they're always right!
Damon angrily stomps out of the room and downstairs to find something to eat for breakfast. On the kitchen table, is a note from Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert, informing Elena and Jeremy that they will be gone for the day and won't be home until late tonight. The note announces they left forty dollars on the table for food, but Damon doesn't see any money. He immediately assumes that Jeremy must have already read the note and snatched up the cash. What a little weasel. Damon could just make something for breakfast; there is plenty of food since Momma Gilbert went grocery shopping yesterday. But where would be the fun in that?
Damon heads towards Jeremy's bedroom, ready to demand twenty of the forty dollars left behind by 'their parents'. The closer he gets to Jeremy's room, though, the stronger he starts to smell a certain smell...a sort of spicy, smoky smell...incense. And the incense was covering up the strong scent of some very good marijuana. Damon finds himself grinning like the Cheshire Cat when he knocks on Jer's door. He listens while Jeremy fumbles around inside the room, drawers being opened, the window opened, a fan turned on, and then Jeremy finally opens.
"He-ey," Jeremy greets awkwardly, blocking off most of the room with his body, but it doesn't block out the definite smell of pot mixed with incense. Anna is giggling in the background, trying to look like she is watching TV, but she is clearly hiding a joint behind her back. "What's up? Mom and Dad aren't home, right?"
"No," Damon replies slowly, "They're not. But what are you two doing?" He pushes Jeremy out of the way and opens the door, a devilish smirk appearing on the face of Elena, causing Jeremy and Anna to exchange a nervous glance. "Smoking pot? In the house? Really?"
Jeremy immediately puts on the puppy dog face as he begs, "Please don't tell, Elena, I didn't think you'd know. I didn't even think you were home, actually. Your car isn't here...!"
"Well, I walked home last night," Damon explains, "And that's not the point. Point is, you shouldn't be smoking in the house. Give me that." He holds open his hand and waits for Jeremy to bring him the joint.
"What?" Jeremy asks, dumbfounded, "Are you serious? What are you gonna do with it?"
"I'm gonna get rid of it," Damon shrugs. "Come on. Hand it over."
Jeremy sighs before reluctantly taking the joint from Anna and placing it in the palm of Elena's hand. Damon smiles as his fingers close around it, and he suggests, "Spray some Febreze or something...that incense reeks. Later, little bro. No more pot-smoking in your bedroom. Do it outside, 'kay?"
"Okay Elena," Jeremy says impatiently, "Can you get out of my room now?"
"I'm going," Damon complies, heading back out the door which he entered, smirk sliding back into place. He shakes his head as he walks back to Elena's bedroom. Baby Gilbert, he thinks to himself, you are badder than I thought you were...
"Damon!" Giuseppe Salvatore's angry voice booms through the hallways, "Get down here!" Elena jumps up from the bed, where she had been wallowing, and wonders what she did wrong now...
Elena slowly walks downstairs, meeting Mr. Salvatore's not-so-happy glare. "Hey...Dad..." She greets slowly, a cautious smile on her face, "What's going on?"
"You tell me what's going on," Mr. Salvatore demands, gesturing towards the front door, "What's she doing here? I thought I said you can't have either of these girls over until you and Stefan work out an agreement."
"I didn't ask anyone to come over," Elena says, shrugging her shoulders. She can tell from the look on Giuseppe's face that he doesn't believe his son, though. Damon obviously doesn't tell the truth often. "I'll tell Elena she has to go home..."
"Not Elena," Mr. Salvatore sighs, "Katherine!"
"What?" Elena frowns. Great, what's she doing here?! "Well, I definitely didn't invite her over."
"Then tell her to get lost," Mr. Salvatore grumbles, "We don't need any more trouble in this house."
"Okay, I will," Elena agrees. "I'm sorry."
Elena inwardly groans at the thought of facing beautiful, manipulative Katherine once again, but she reluctantly walks to the front door, opens it, and steps outside. It's a beautifully clear fall day, a little crisp, but not too cold. She'd be happy, if she weren't so internally conflicted over her current situation. She wasn't expecting Katherine to come back so soon; she did say she needed, well Damon needed time to think, and Elena was pretty sure she even said a few days. Twelve hours is not two or three days! Maybe she's stupid, Elena thinks hopefully.
"Katherine...?" Elena greets questioningly, hoping Katherine will get the hint and realize she isn't welcome here.
"Hi," Katherine purrs, a seductive smile on her face as she tries to act innocent, "I know you said you needed time..." Oh, good, she was listening. "But I just thought, how are you going to know I've changed if you don't spend any time with me? I want to spend the day with you, you know, get to know each other again. Then you can decide who you want: me, or Elena." The way Katherine says her name makes Elena cringe. She is so focused on Katherine, she doesn't even realize Damon has also shown up, not until after Katherine has added, "And I won't tell her if you don't." She giggles.
"Too late, I already know what you're up to, Katherine," Damon announces coldly in Elena's voice, causing both Katherine and Elena to jump in surprise.
Katherine quickly regains composure, straightening her back and tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she reminds the brunette unkindly, "Well, I did warn you yesterday what would happen if you get in my way, Elena." Katherine narrows her ice blue eyes, causing her whole face to take on a harsh, ugly look that Damon never saw before.
"Yeah," Damon nods, "You did, but Damon isn't interested in you anymore." He doesn't miss the confused but semi-hopeful look that Elena gives him, probably wondering if his words have any truth to them.
"That's not what he said last night," Katherine says suggestively.
"Oh, he told me all about your visit last night," Damon returns, even more sure now that he has no interest in pursuing Katherine anymore. She's a snake. She is vicious and hateful and selfish, and she brings out the worst in him. Elena brings out the bests, and she makes him laugh, and he likes being with Elena more than he liked being with Katherine. And he and Elena haven't even slept together yet. That has to mean something. It has to mean something big. Ignoring Katherine's deathly cold glare, Damon turns to Elena, who is quietly watching the scene unfold, "Damon...will you come for a drive with me? Please, I want to talk..."
Elena nods, "Okay." She can't say no after seeing Damon completely shut down Katherine's advances. She's been shrugging him off all morning, and she did say she'd talk to him once he made a decision about Katherine...Is this his decision? Does he really not want her? He wants me? Well...he didn't say that...
"But, Damon," Katherine pouts, "I thought you were going to hang out with me?"
Elena barely glances her way, "Actually, I never agreed, so...sorry, Katherine, but I think I'll pass."
Damon smirks at Elena's reply, and Katherine's subsequent shocked and indignant expression. He could barely hold in a chuckle. Katherine was actually shocked into silence. That's a first. "You ready?" He asks Elena, who nods and follows him in the direction of her car. Luckily, Damon has the keys in hand, because he was planning on taking a drive to smoke the rest of Jeremy's confiscated joint, whether or not Elena agreed to join him.
"You had perfect timing," Elena comments, "For once."
"You just can't give me the compliment without the insult, can you?" Damon asks teasingly.
Elena blushes and lowers her gaze to her feet, "Sorry. That's not what I meant."
"Elena," Damon laughs, "I was kidding. I'm sorry." He insists, "I was the one who put you in this awkward position, and it wasn't right, I know. I'm sorry. I should never have let things get so crazy."
Elena isn't sure how to take his words. What's crazy? Our feelings for each other or Katherine's shitty timing? His parents and the out of control fight with Stefan? The fight she and him had yesterday? What's crazy?! "Okay...well, is that what you wanted to talk about?" She wonders why he's driving her out to what looks like the Falls, when all he wanted to do was apologize.
"That," Damon nods, "And other things." He gives his words a moment to sink in, and then completely changes the topic when he re-tells, "I caught Jeremy and Anna smoking weed in his room this morning."
"No way!" Elena gasps, effectively distracted for the time being from their previous topic. "Are you serious? Where were Mom and Dad?"
"Out for the day," Damon replies, "And yeah, I'm completely serious. I made him give me the joint."
"You did not," Elena giggles, the noise sounding funny coming from Damon's throat.
"I did," Damon insists, his smile growing, "Check the center console." He gestures with his eyes to the small storage space between their seats.
Elena eyes him carefully before opening the center console and gasping again, whispering and looking around in a guilty way as she accuses, "Are you crazy?! You can't drive around with a joint in my car! You're gonna get me arrested! You're gonna get us arrested!"
"Relax, Elena, we're not going to get pulled over," Damon reassures her, "We're almost at the Falls, and after we smoke it, there won't be any evidence left in the car for the police to find." Damon smiles, confident he covered all her worries with his answers.
"Okay, you're out of your mind if you think I'm smoking that with you," Elena tells him seriously, "And, you aren't smoking it either."
"Oh yes I am," Damon argues, "And I bet you'll smoke it too, Elena. You should, at least. You seem pretty stressed, and our friend Mary Jane knows exactly how to make your stress go away."
"Wow, really?" Elena rolls her eyes. "That definitely changes my mind. I totally want to do it now," Elena states sarcastically.
Damon has turned onto the dirt road leading up to the Falls at this point, still pretty sure of himself that he can get Elena to loosen up and take a couple hits off the joint with him, but even if she doesn't she's still here with him. He has to fess up how he's feeling before she loses all hope in him and refuses to give him any more chances. He doesn't deserve any more, he knows that; he's fucked up Elena's life a lot since Ayana swapped their bodies, but now he knows that it was all for a reason, and he's willing to accept that. He and Elena are good for each other. He and Elena have chemistry. He knows he wouldn't have ever looked at Elena this way without the help of Ayana's twisted curse, but he doesn't know how to tell Elena that.
"Come on," Damon urges after he parks the car and turns off the engine, "Let's go sit on the rocks over there." Damon grabs the joint, even with Elena's warning glare, and a lighter that he nabbed from Jeremy, and climbs out of the car. Elena follows, and they both take a seat on the big rocks that overlook the waterfall.
Damon starts to light up the joint, and Elena comments, "I can't believe you stole that from Jeremy just to smoke it yourself."
"What?" Damon raises an eyebrow, "You think I'm the only one to do that? My dad found my stash once, back when I used to buy a quarter every weekend, and he took the whole thing. For the next week, I could smell the weed coming out of his and Isobel's room after they thought Stef and I were sleeping. I couldn't say anything to them, but come on, obviously they took it so they could have some fun."
"That's crazy," Elena says, fighting the urge to smile and losing because it's too funny to think of Giuseppe and Isobel smoking pot while their boys were in bed 'sleeping'.
Damon nods in confirmation as he takes a drag off the joint. It's been over a year since he's smoked weed, but like he told Elena, she's stressed and so is he and this is one way to loosen up for a little while. Jeremy just presented him with the perfect opportunity. He takes another drag, and then offers it to Elena. She gives him the stink eye for a moment, but eventually gives into temptation and takes the joint. "That's my girl," Damon laughs.
"What did I tell you about calling me that?" Elena reminds him grumpily. She eyes the burning joint in between her fingers like it might blow up any moment, and carefully puts it between her lips, pulling gently. She feels the burn of the smoke fill her lungs and she can't help but cough. She quickly passes the joint back to Damon. "Oh my gosh," She says in between coughs, "That is strong."
Damon laughs, but he nods, "It is. I'll have to thank Jeremy later for getting the good stuff."
"Don't you dare," Elena warns after she's caught her breath.
"Fine," Damon shrugs, "I won't. But you don't have to be such a goody-goody, Elena. Jeremy won't think any less of you just for smoking a little weed."
"It's irresponsible," Elena reminds him, even as she is accepting the joint again. She takes another puff, a little more worried this time, but she doesn't fill her lungs as much as the first time, and it is better now that she isn't coughing. Not that it means I'll be doing this every day after school. I am so not becoming a pot head.
"You're me, Elena," Damon reminds her, "So don't worry about it so much. I've done way worse than take a few hits off a joint."
"Don't remind me," Elena says dryly. She knows that Damon's done worse. He's probably done worse on a daily basis. But she doesn't need a constant reminder of it. She shakes her head, her thoughts cloudy from the marijuana, which she passes back to Damon and indicates she wants no more of. "What am I doing here, Damon?" She sighs, "What was that back there? I don't understand you. One minute you don't know what you want, you don't want me around, now you're do? I mean, you're more indecisive than I ever was as a girl."
"That's not true." Damon is very doubtful of that. He can't possibly be as indecisive as the everyday, average teenage girl. Am I? "Sorry...I don't know why I've been so stupid. And yeah, I know that thinking about giving Katherine another chance was stupid. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess that's just what happens when Katherine comes around. I turn into an idiot, but it's not going to happen anymore, Elena."
"Why?" Elena asks, wanting him to be very clear with what he's saying, because there are many ways to interpret what he has said so far.
"Because," Damon meets Elena's inquiring gaze head on, "I realized that I don't want to be with someone like Katherine...not after knowing someone like you. I know this shit is all fucked up because you're me and I'm you, but...I don't even care. If it never happened, I would never have figured out how stupid I've been, how blind not to notice you. You've been right next door all this time, and I - I was the biggest jerk to you. You should hate me, but I don't want you to. I wish I could take back all the stupid, mean things that I did to you, Elena. I can't, but I can try and make it up to you. I'm so sorry."
Elena can't believe her ears. She never thought in a million years Damon Salvatore would give her a sincere apology for all the pranks and awful things he's said and did to her over the years, but she just got one. "You - you..." Elena shakes her head, a slow smile spreading across her face, "You said you're sorry."
"Is that so unbelievable?" Damon wonders.
"Kind of," Elena says, giggling again, but it doesn't really bother Damon so much anymore. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have called you stupid, even if that is what I thought. You wanted to talk to me, but I shut you out."
"I shouldn't have tried to talk to you about that," Damon accepts, "It was dumb. I guess that made me realize, too, that I was trying to find a way to keep you and Katherine, but I don't want that. I don't want Katherine at all. I want you, Elena."
Elena shakes her head, even though she knows his words are sincere, "But, you said you won't know how you feel until you're back in you're body. How do you know you won't change your mind once everything is back to normal? I don't -"
"I just know," Damon insists, his voice sure, "When you know, you know. Isn't that what they say? I know, Elena, and I've never felt that way before. Just take my word for it, okay? I won't hurt you anymore. I promise."
Elena stares at her face, knowing that it's Damon behind her brown eyes, feeling that his words are true and his heart is finally in the right place. She smiles slowly, her cheeks warming at the thought that Damon feels the same way about her as she feels about him. "Okay," She accepts his apology and his promise. She leans closer to him, and they kiss, and for once she doesn't feel weird about the fact that she's kissing her own lips. They're going to be put back in their bodies soon, Elena just knows it. She can feel something big is about to happen. It's unexplainable, but Elena can just feel it in her bones. She and Damon will be returned to their proper places...and all will be right.
"Did you know about the semi-formal on Friday?" Damon asks, remembering Bonnie and Caroline's conversation with him about the dance.
"Yeah," Elena nods, "What about it?"
"Well," Damon suggests, "I was thinking we should go together. You know, it makes sense, anyways, and..."
"Yes," Elena cuts him off, "Of course I want to go with you."
Damon lets out a small sigh of relief and smiles happily at Elena. Things worked out better than he hoped. He didn't think he'd feel so much better after fixing things with Elena, but that was the final clue that confessing his feelings was the right thing to do. He does like Elena, and there's no point in denying it anymore. He wants Elena Gilbert, may even be falling in love with Elena Gilbert, and he couldn't ask for more.
Well...maybe just my body back. That would make everything perfect.
Monday morning, Elena and Damon wake up for the first time since the switch feeling happy and confident in their skin. Sure, they hadn't switched back overnight, but they both had a tingling sensation it was going to happen very, very soon...
Or maybe that was a sense of foreboding that shit was about to hit the fan.
No, Katherine hadn't show up again and slept with somebody else. And Matt hasn't made a surprise visit from wherever the hell it is he moved to. But two phone calls are made to the Gilbert and Salvatore residences at exactly 7AM.
One, for Damon from Alaric, announcing quite enthusiastically, "Dude, we just booked the school dance on Friday! The Originals is playing from seven-thirty until nine! So get ready to practice all week, okay?" Elena agrees numbly, her heart racing rapidly in her chest. How was she going to pull off playing with The Originals for an hour and a half set?! She only knows two songs. It's impossible, completely impossible!
The other phone call, for Elena, is from the student placement director at Yale University, "Hello, Elena, I was hoping we could move up your interview to this Friday, at four-thirty? I had to switch some interviews around, and this is the only other time available. If you can't attend, I'm sorry, but I'll have to give your interview slot to someone else..."
"This Friday?" Damon says, swallowing the thick feeling of nervousness gathering in his throat, "Four-thirty? Uh, no, that's fine, perfect, even. I'll definitely be there."
"Great!" Both Ric and the Yale Director reply.
Yeah...Elena and Damon think...It's just great!
Please Review! I'll give you a hint: Next chapter just may be the one where they switch back...Let me know if there is anything you'd like to see happen between Delena before the end of the story, and I will try and make it happen!:) Expect an update before Wednesday.
Check out my newest story, Holy Ground, if you have time:) It's a Klaroline story, I just posted Chapter 1 at the beginning of the week.
Thanks so much! You guys are the best:)
-BecomingScarlett