Author's note: Thank you for all the delightful love, everyone! I'm super-ecstatic at all the beautiful reviews! I apologize, truly, for taking so long to update. It's been a bit crazy, and I'm not sure when everything will be less busy, but I appreciate all the love and support.
I'm wholeheartedly grateful, truly. :)
Late October 2009
Elena woke up to a feeling of utter contentment. She opened her eyes slowly, blearily, finding Damon sitting up next to her, leaning against the headboard.
He had her teddy bear on his lap, with a decidedly devious expression on his handsome face.
"Your little buddy and I had a very interesting conversation," he revealed with a smirk that made her heart palpitate with want.
"His name's Gummi," she sassed with a languid stretch, feeling very much at peace, at ease. Happy. A far cry from the tumult of the night before.
"Gummi?" Damon questioned wryly, his lips curling in a mischievous smirk.
"Mmhmm!" Elena chirped, not even remotely ready to leave her bed. She snuggled into her pillow, closing her eyes as she let Damon's voice wash over her, trying to vividly recall the warmth, and serenity, and perfection of being cuddled into Damon's embrace. She woke up being held protectively by him in the middle of the night for a brief few seconds, finding herself feeling utterly peaceful and safe and loved, before her body's exhaustion took its toll and she quickly fell asleep again.
She just hoped it wasn't a wishful dream.
"Well, Gummi has been telling me all kinds of interesting things in the last few hours," he teased mercilessly, "like where you keep your journals and all that good stuff, containing all your dirty little secrets." Pleased at the involuntary gasp and eye-widening terror he saw in Elena's expression as she bolted upright, he lifted the bear before his face, raising the pitch in his voice playfully, while wiggling the plushie's arms in turn with his words. "It's true!" Damon-as-Gummi squeaked. "Elena keeps her journals in a hidden compartment under a loose floorboard!"
Elena paled.
"What!?" Damon theatrically gasped, a hand over his mouth. "You don't say, Gummi!" he followed, placing the bear before his face again. "She writes about you so much, Damon!" he continued in a high-pitched voice, before revealing her most recent journal.
"You ass! Give that back!" A righteously angry Elena made a lunge for the journal, but Damon's vampiric reflexes made short and easy work out of avoiding her attempt to confiscate his contraband.
"It's not me, Elena!" Damon said in a profoundly exaggerated display of innocence, his hand clutching his chest. "Gummi seems to think that there are some very important facts I absolutely need to know!" The bear was in front of his face again, arms and legs wiggling. "That's right, Damon! She said you were a sexy creature of the night! And that she planned to take advantage of you. Elena's a predator, Damon! I'm just trying to protect you!" Damon shook his head at Elena in melodramatic judgement and vulnerability. "Thank you, Gummi. At least someone's looking out for me."
Elena rolled her eyes, unable to resist the laughter bubbling in her chest – her head shaking in amusement at Damon's antics. She affected a very serious face, drawing her eyebrows together in a frown that could rival Stefan's. Damon grudgingly admitted that he was impressed. "You can tell Gummi that I'm going to skin his traitorous hide and strip him for fuzzy little parts if he continues to betray me this way."
"Elena!" Damon gasped, Gummi's hand over his mouth. "That was positively diabolical! I think I'm turned on. Gummi, you're on your own. Elena just won me over with her scary-sexy display of ruthlessness."
"No, Damon, save me!" Damon-as-Gummi squeaked as the vampire raised the bear over his face again. "Don't leave me to her whims and clutches!" he cried, wiggling the little teddy's limbs, before Elena snatched the bear away in a fit of giggles bursting from deep within her. She squeezed the bear into her rapidly aching chest, helpless against the laughter vibrating everything inside her.
"That's my kind of punishment," Damon leered suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows in that way that made Elena's heart flutter. "I've been just as bad as Gummi, you know," he said, holding her diary in front of him.
She growled, making another dive for it, and he was only too eager to reciprocate.
"The diary wasn't the only loot I found in your treasure trove, E-le-na!" Damon teased, using his vampiric speed to duck away from her attacks with ease and letting her fall flat on her face on the soft surface of the bed in the spot he'd just vacated. Suddenly, he was by the windowsill, holding a whole collection of journals and photo albums in his hands, wearing the douchiest of all grins. Inwardly, however, he was relieved to see some life breathed back into her – that she wasn't the trembling mess of the night before.
Experience told him that Elena reacted remarkably well to laughter, teasing, and play. And that's precisely what she would get, because he was determined to wipe away any adverse influence of Noah, one giggle, one playful scoff, one adorable smile at a time.
Elena, on the other hand, was profoundly undercaffeinated and decidedly not vampiric. She poutily lumbered over, acutely aware that she had a distinct disadvantage in speed and stealth. She'd have to make up for it in subterfuge. Moving considerably slower than capable, she really leaned into her grogginess, hoping to catch him off guard. Closer, closer – and then she made a dive, grinning triumphantly when she managed to score one of her journals. "Gotcha!"
"First you threaten helpless, well-meaning teddy bears, just trying to look out for a sexy vampire's virtue. Then you underhandedly snatch my well-earned entertainment away," Damon tsked. "I might as well buy you a catsuit, some thieves' tools, and call you Selina Kyle."
'Which version?" Elena purred, the early morning giving her voice a husky sultriness she didn't intend as she sidled up next to Damon.
"To be continued," he replied with a throatiness of his own, not expecting this from her. He schooled a grin and tossed the contents in his hands over to her bed. "Keep your secrets – for now," he winked. "See you tonight."
With that, he leaped out of the window, and disappeared from sight.
Damon was in a profoundly pensive mood when he arrived at the Boarding House.
He awoke that morning to find Elena's limbs intimately entangled with his – her head on his shoulder, body cuddled into his side, an arm wrapped securely around his torso, and one leg thrown over his. His own arm held her protectively against him, with the fingers of the other entwined with hers. At some point during the night, he must have fallen asleep, and their hand-holding morphed into a considerably more intimate display of its own accord. For a few minutes, he allowed himself to indulge in the feeling, the bliss of holding her – the girl he could finally admit he loved.
He loved her. Fuck. He was so screwed – again – except it was even worse this time than with Katherine, because he absolutely didn't deserve her. And it's not like she wanted him anyway. Sure, she was obviously attracted to him and wanted him in a superficial way, like everyone else, but no one could ever want what was inside – the real him. He knew that much. The whole tomb debacle was a good reminder of that constant.
And so, reality slithered in, and he reluctantly pulled away, doubtful that Elena would appreciate waking up in a position that her subconscious clearly wanted. So, he set about to do some snooping, recalling just how sexy she looked when she was all riled up. And it might get her mind off that fuckface, Noah.
A shadow crossed over his face at the memory of seeing Elena terrified, bound, gagged, with Noah's fangs in her neck, listening to her muffled screams and watching the life in her eyes fade away while he was helpless to save her. He couldn't be sure, but it might have been the most terrifying moment of his life, with the fear and adrenaline still lingering even after he managed to rescue Elena.
But rescue Elena he did, so all in all, a successful night. He'd count it a win. And he would keep repeating it to himself every time that horrifying image appeared before his eyes.
He rescued Elena from a potentially lethal attack, so he could rest assured that she would at least be okay until nightfall, since Noah didn't seem to have any daylight jewelry. He very effectively got her hackles up, resulting in that adorable flush on her face, the sexy way her chest righteously heaved. He made her laugh, which was fast-becoming his favorite sound in all the cosmos, flooding everything within him with warmth every time he heard it. He shook the wistfully endearing smile off his face as soon as he realized. What was happening to him? He used to be so cool.
And, best of all, despite finally realizing just how dangerous vampires are, Elena still seemed to trust him, instilling him with hope.
Admittedly, this was a high against the devastating low of almost losing her the night before, but he would take what he could get. They obviously needed a more permanent solution if Noah had an invitation into her house and clearly showed no hesitation to hurt her when Anna wasn't around. He might have to bring the Forehead of Self-Righteousness in on this.
Great.
And, oh look, there was Captain Curmudgeon now, along with his trusty sidekick, Judgy Jill. Predictably, Lexi Branson, his little bro's self-righteous bestie, greeted him with a scowl. Given that when they'd last seen each other, he'd left her to fry on a roof in New York, he honestly couldn't blame her.
It didn't mean that he couldn't make this a little fun for himself, though.
It had been days since Anna arrived at the Center of Serendipity and she was – bored. The feeling surprised her. She expected to feel some kind of grand epiphany and spiritual awareness. At least her mother was adjusting beautifully. She had to admit: the witches, vampires, and handful of werewolves who ran the space did a spectacular job.
Everything felt just so remarkably serene.
Pearl was in her element, already leading a meditation group, despite having only recently arrived. As the elder vampire was the one who introduced Aurelia to the practice centuries ago, the former Bennett witch was happy to acquiesce. Anna also noted that Harper was flourishing.
Fredrick and Bethann, predictably, already tried to start several fights. Idiots.
Anna scowled. Just how long was she supposed to stay here? While she could reasonably understand the value of such an exercise, she deduced that she was likely not in the proper place in her life for it – not currently, at the very least.
And what was up with the Wi-Fi here? She'd been trying to email Elena for days! It's bad enough that she was probably missing Halloween, but her entirely-too-enamored bestie clearly needed a reminder about priorities. Those being to take embarrassing photos of all their classmates for potential blackmail purposes. Though maybe Elena didn't need to know the exact reason, Anna smirked.
"Problem?" asked an amused Aurelia over her shoulder, as Anna took out her frustration on her laptop's keys, nearly breaking them in her aggressive strokes.
"Has this place heard of a functional internet?"
"The magic that surrounds this place has an adverse effect on electronics," Aurelia revealed.
"No shit?" Anna asked, surprised. "Hogwarts rules? I thought the candles were just to set the ambiance. You mean you actually need them?"
"Looks like," Aurelia winked. "I can see you're a bit too restless for the tomb vampires' assigned program. Why don't we try something else, instead? Something more befitting a wild free spirit like yourself?"
"Like what?" Anna asked dubiously, having just about enough of this place.
"I thought you might be a bit more interested in our lore. Some of our witches have the ability to peer into other worlds. We've learned quite a few interesting tidbits about the origins of the doppelgängers – like your friend, Elena. And Katherine Pierce," Aurelia said, fighting to keep her voice even, but Anna had made it her business to study slights variations in tone, micro expressions, overall demeanor. It was at times the only way she survived.
And Anna found it particularly curious how Aurelia's timbre shifted when she said Katherine's name.
Elena spent the day with Bonnie and Caroline, with the latter in a frenzy ever since she found out that Stefan's birthday was the day after Halloween. After deciding that they'd expounded entirely too much energy on their annual costume ball rager and not nearly enough on celebrating the birth of her latest crush, she whipped herself up into a veritable frenzy. It took the entirety of Elena and Bonnie's combined efforts to calm her down, convince her that Stefan's very much an introvert, and probably wouldn't want the entire school invited to a surprise party.
Something low-key at the Grill would suffice, the girls agreed, and Caroline visibly sank with relief. She could do that.
Elena groaned. Halloween was the next day and she'd barely had a chance to find proper accessories for her costume. Sexy vampires, Elena scoffed. How had she not seen through Anna's subterfuge sooner?
"He's invited into her house?" Stefan asked in horror when Damon pulled him aside to tell him about Noah's attack.
"Yeah," Damon winced. "Apparently, Little Gilbert got a little too enthusiastic about his pizza right away his way. Maybe he'll make a move at the Halloween party tomorrow? We obviously can't let him live. And I somehow doubt Sexy Aunt Clueless will appreciate my spending every night in Elena's room, not that I really care what she thinks," he added with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.
Stefan rolled his eyes.
"I can stay with her," Lexi chimed in, materializing before them having overheard the entire conversation, since she was, after all, a vampire with supernatural senses. "Definitely better company than you."
"Yeah, relax, Tall, Blonde, and Aggro. She doesn't even know you. I don't want you to spook her with your over eagerness," Damon sassed.
Lexi frowned, taking a few seconds to study him. "Your humanity's back."
"Whatever helps your jugdy little heart feel better," Damon scoffed like he needed another reminder, decidedly uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation, suddenly flooded with guilt over leaving her to die. Leaving Enzo to die. All the people he killed.
He needed to get out of there.
While she was out, Elena could reasonably convince herself that she was okay. When she came home, however – to her empty house, since Jenna was still away and Jeremy and Tyler were busy preparing their artwork for some kind of contest, apparently – the fear returned.
The Sun was setting soon, and all she could remember was the feeling of raw helplessness as Noah dragged her to and fro, his fingers clutching her hair as it pulled on her aching scalp, his fangs in her neck. The pain, the fear. She saw a shadow in her peripheral vision and jumped, only to realize that nothing was there.
With a shaky breath, she sat on her bed, covering her face with her hands. She was not okay – as much as she tried to hide from this fact all day, the night before had a chilling effect on her.
Vampires were terrifying, and one nearly killed her because she looked like a woman with whom he was obsessed. And he had an invitation into her home – her home where her family lived. She'd placed them in danger, again.
Jeremy may have been the one to invite Noah inside, but she was the reason he was even interested in their house. She began to hyperventilate. This was all her fault.
"Planning to audition for the cover of Worrywarts Weekly? Because I have to say, I like those odds," her favorite voice in all the world quipped. Her eyes instantly shot up, and as soon as they met his, her breathing regulated, her heartbeat slowed. She felt calmer, and all seemed better again in the Universe.
He was here. She felt safe again.
He looked troubled, worried, sitting on her windowsill. Despite the smirk lining his face, there seemed to be some marked trepidation in his cerulean eyes.
"Damon!" Elena cried, relieved that he was back. The anxiety shifted into a laugh that bubbled from her chest, as she drew her knees up to hug them. "You're came," she breathed, then let her lips curve into an impish smile. "My vampy knight in haute couture, snootily-designer armor."
He got up to take a seat next to her, chancing to wrap an arm around her shoulders, visibly relieved when she unconsciously leaned into his embrace. "Psh!" he scoffed playfully. "I'm a dashing rogue. Knights are lame and overly rules-y. And they're too obsessed with their Hero Hair."
"Don't they keep their hair in a full-face iron helmet?"
"That's why they're so obsessed, Elena. They need just the right product to avoid helmet hair. Don't you know anything about supernatural fiefdoms?"
"I had no idea that supernatural fiefdoms gave such credence to haircare," she said in mock-seriousness, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"Well, now you do," he replied in playful condescension. "Just one of the many, many, many vital lessons I've taught you. You don't appreciate me nearly enough," he sighed dramatically.
"You're right," she smirked wickedly. "I don't. Gummi was telling the truth. I'm only here to take advantage of you," she said in her best imitation of a sultry voice, delighted when it earned her a laugh.
Damon stared at her for several whole seconds, unable to control the adoring smile that girl he loved inspired, the way she was able to quiet the raging inferno within him. Fuck, he was screwed. Using entirely too much effort, he collected himself. "What's on the agenda for tonight's dream?"
We need a chill, fluffy chapter to unwind after the last one, right?
Coming up next – Halloween!
Big thanks to Oiselet, as always, for idea-bouncing. :D
I wrote a little one-shot! (That very well may get expanded to a two-shot, since I'm already playing around with some ideas. :D) It explores what happens when a time traveler jumps into their past body to stop an event. What happens to the person from the original timeline? Are they written out of existence? Follow Damon and Elena as they find out when their trip to Georgia takes an unusual turn. ;) It's called Echoes in Time. Please check it out. :D
Much love, all! :D
