They start walking together, the streetlights casting elongated shadows as they head to his car.
"Are you my knight in shining armor now?" Elena asks playfully.
Damon smirks. "I left my armor at home..."
Elena laughs. "It's nice to have you looking out for me, Damon. It's been a rough several days and this...this feels good."
Damon opens the passenger side door, allowing her to slide in before pushing it shut. He gets behind the wheel and turns to face her.
"Are you hungry or do you want me to drive you straight home?"
"Damon," Elena pauses as she links their hands. "I want to go home with you."
Damon stills and the moonlight catches his eyes. The depth of blue is so intense, that Elena can almost hear the waves falling against the shore and see the foam flying into the air.
Crossing his arms, he pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it haphazardly over one shoulder. With a twinkle, Damon brings one of her hands up to his mouth, kissing the base of her thumb.
He then places her hand first on his belly and then lower to stroke his prominent bulge. His eyes drift closed and he groans at how good it feels.
Raising his head, Damon looks at her and Elena shivers under the intensity of his stare. With a low growl, he drops his mouth to hers, plunges his tongue in, and steals her breath away.
His hands feverishly fondle her breasts. Elena makes little noises as the heat in her belly shoots through her body like a lightning bolt.
Damon tears his mouth from hers, trails wet kisses down her jaw, and dips his tongue into the hollow at the base of her throat before moving lower to capture her nipple.
His hot mouth on her cool flesh makes her gasp and arch her back, thrusting more of her breast into his mouth. Threading her fingers into his shock of black hair, she holds him close while writhing beneath him.
Damon sucks harder and she whimpers, rocking her hips against him.
Groaning, he drags his mouth to her other breast and tortures her until she's almost in rapture.
"Oh, please." Her head thrashes back and forth.
Damon peels off his pants and kisses her fiercely. When they part, he slithers down her exquisite body, scrapes her hip bone with his teeth, and nuzzles her through her panties. Grasping the lacy material, he pulls them off when she raises her hips. Lowering his weight, Damon settles between her legs and locks eyes with hers for a millisecond before he plunges in with one swift thrust.
Elena throws her head back and gasps at the deliciousness of it, curling her fingers into his shoulders.
Damon doesn't move right away, holding still to let her body adjust. Moving slowly at first, he pulls almost out and attempts to inch back in. But control is a fragile thing, his breaks almost immediately, and then he's driving into her with a singular purpose.
Elena meets every stroke with equal fervor, drawing up her feet and planting them flat on the mattress to change the angle and take him deeper.
His hands fist in her hair.
Elena's nails claw his back, urging him to move harder and faster. Heat begins to curl in her tummy, streaking through her veins like an inferno consuming everything in its path. Trembling with need, she wraps her legs around him and pulls him in even deeper.
Damon slips a hand between them to stroke her, and she comes - screaming his name as if in reverence. She convulses almost painfully around him, clenching him like a velvet-lined vise grip, triggering his climax. He rises and thrusts into her one last time. Throwing his head back, he echoes her release with a roar, her body taking everything he has to give.
Slack-limbed and panting, Damon collapses onto her.
They lay, trembling with the aftershocks, hearts racing and gasping for breath.
After a minute or two he moves to pull out of her but Elena holds tight and whispers, "Stay."
Nodding, he gathers her into his arms, brushes her damp hair from her sweaty forehead, and peppers her face with kisses. They lay side by side, her head resting on his arm. She has her leg thrown over his hip and he's still buried inside her. Running her hand over his beautiful chest and up his throat to cradle his cheek.
The moon hangs low in the sky, casting a silvery glow through the half-closed curtains. Their breaths intertwine, a gentle rhythm of shared warmth. The room is hushed, save for the distant hum of crickets and the soft rustle of sheets.
Damon traces the curve of her spine, fingers lingering over the delicate bumps of her vertebrae.
Elena nestles closer, her head resting against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. The scent of him—sandalwood and musk—wraps around her like a comforting blanket.
Outside, the world seemed to fade away. The worries, the deadlines, the chaos—they all dissolve into insignificance. In this cocoon of intimacy, there are only the two of them, suspended in time.
Damon presses a kiss to her forehead, feather-light. Elena sighs a contented sound that echoes his longing. Their lips meet, soft and slow, a dance of tenderness. It isn't a desperate kiss, nor a passionate one. It is a promise—a promise of tomorrow, of shared mornings and whispered secrets.
As the minutes slip by, their kisses deepen. Damon's hand cradles her face, thumb brushing across her cheekbone. Elena tastes like wine and desire, a heady combination that leaves him dizzy. Her fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him closer as if she wants their souls to merge.
And then, as if the universe conspires to grant them solace, exhaustion creeps in. Their kisses soften, becoming languid and sweet. Damon nuzzles her neck, inhaling the scent of her skin. She nestles into the crook of his arm, her eyelids fluttering shut.
"This is nice," she murmurs, her voice a sleep whisper.
Damon presses his lips to her temple, savoring the moment. The room is a cocoon of warmth, their bodies entwined.
They drift into slumber, wrapped in each other's arms. The moon continues its silent vigil, casting shadows on the walls. In that quiet room, love, and sleep intertwine, and they surrender to both.
Goodnight, whispers the stars, as they paint dreams across the sky.
Damon leans against the dimly lit alley wall, the cold bricks seeping through his coat. Elena stands beside him, nervous with anticipation. Their mission is simple: lure out the elusive Pioneer Square killer.
"Elena," Damon says, his voice low and gravelly, "You're stepping into dangerous waters. This man isn't your average everyday criminal. He's strong, cunning, and deadly."
Elena adjusts the microphone in her ear. "I know, Damon, but I trust you to keep me safe. And imagine the headlines!"
Damon's gaze bores into hers. "This isn't a game, Elena. He's killed 5 women."
Elena's fingers tighten around his. "I think I can draw him out."
"He's like smoke slipping through your fingers. If you're right about the 21 days, his murder spree will soon come to an end but you have to be careful."
Her excitement is palpable. "I will, Damon."
His eyes narrow. "Listen carefully, Elena. If he does attempt, you need to stay out of my way. I have abilities that I cannot use when I'm with my colleagues. He'll smell your desperation. And when he does, he won't hesitate to try to kill you."
Elena swallows hard. "What's the plan, then?"
"You're going to walk and I'm going to follow you in the shadows."
Damon pulls a small device out of his pocket. "This is a taser. Do you know how to use one?"
Elena nods.
He hands it to her. "Keep it in your hand so you can use it if you need to."
Elena shivers. "I hope you pounce on him before he gets that close. I'm not without fear."
"It's not too late to back out."
Elena shakes her head. "No, we need to do this."
"Alright, let's go," Damon extends his arm.
As they step out of the alley, the city lights flicker like distant stars. Damon's hand rests on his concealed gun. "One more thing," Damon pulls her into his arms and kisses her fiercely.
Elena's heart is racing when he lets her go. "Let's do this."
The moon hangs low, casting elongated shadows across the cobblestone streets of Pioneer Square. The air is thick with anticipation, and Elena clutches the taser tightly. She's here for a story, but she knows there's more lurking in the darkness.
Her footsteps echo off the old brick buildings. The square is deserted except for a few flickering streetlamps. She glances around, her senses heightened.
She rounds a corner and looks back. Damon is staying in the shadows.
"Please stop looking around like you're suspicious of something! Walk natural."
"I'm scared!" Elena admits.
"I'm right behind you."
"That's easy for you to say," Elena sucks in a breath.
"Just act casual, Elena. I won't let anything happen to you," Damon assures her.
As Elena continues down the street, she pulls her lower lip between her teeth. Although tempted to glance back again, she tells herself no.
The air is thick with tension. The only sound is the distant hum of traffic. A dimly lit alleyway adjacent to Diamond Jacks. The ground is littered with trash, and the flickering streetlamp casts eerie shadows on the cracked pavement.
Suddenly a symphony of sirens wails in the distance, growing louder with each passing second.
Three police cars speed around the corner, their blue and red lights slicing through the darkness. Tires screech as they skid to a halt, forming a barricade at the alley's entrance.
Chief Jordan steps out of the lead car and marches over to Elena.
"Okay, the party's over, Get in the car," he demands.
"What are you doing down here?" Elena asks with incredulity.
"You're under arrest. Get in the car," Chief Jordan repeats as he grabs her arm and drags her toward the patrol car.
"Get your hands off me," Elena hisses, her fuse lit. "You have no right to arrest me. I haven't done anything wrong."
"You broke curfew."
"What curfew?" Elena's voice rises with each syllable that leaves her mouth.
"The one I just ordered. Now shut up!" Jordan tells her and he pushes her into the backseat of the police cruiser.
Having witnessed all of this and happy that Elena is off the streets, Damon gives up the surveillance and heads to his car to drive down to the police station to find out what's going on.
"You were supposed to be in Mt. Vernon covering the tulip festival," Ric roars at Elena, having come to the police station to bail her out.
"Where?" she asks, confused.
"I'd like to leave you here forever; I'd like to see them lock you up in a jail cell for a million years! If you don't shut your mouth..." He hisses, his face red with rage.
"What's the matter with you?" Elena rebuffs him. "You ought to see a doctor. Your blood pressure must be through the roof. I'm serious. You sound terrible."
Ric glares at her before storming off.
Damon pulls Elena aside. "What have you done to that poor man? I have never seen anyone so close to total insanity before."
"Me?" Elena's voice trails when she hears a couple of cops.
"We had him cornered near the old Silverlake Hospital building, but he disappeared, just like that..."
Elena shares a glance with Damon and whispers, "That has to be where his hideout is. He has to have a way in and out of some secret part of the underground, and the basement of his old hospital has to be it."
"Let's go." Damon grabs Elena by the arm and leads her out of the building.
Thank you, everyone.
Chapter title: The Jig is Up by Ice Nine Kills.
Have a wonderful day.