HOME | DD

Description

It was hours before her senses slowly began to return. The scent of aged leather was fresh in her nose and she noticed the weight of Damon's jacket draped over her body. Her eyes stubbornly refused to open and for a moment she just listened. The car engine was humming beneath her feet and every so often a car would zip past her window. Beneath those sounds, she could make out the faint melody of Damon singing along with the radio.

Finally cracking an eye, she glanced over at him drumming the steering wheel with his fingertips.

"Ke$ha? Really?" she muttered with just the slightest hint of derision.

Unfazed by her censure, Damon's lips lifted in a small smile and he adjusted the volume knob of the radio. The car filled with the electronic dance beats of "Tik Tok."

"I thought you had better taste in music than this," she said, gesturing with a flip of her hand to the radio.

Damon laughed out loud and eased back against his seat. "This from a girl who keeps a signed Britney Spears single hidden in her underwear drawer."

"What does that-" Elena stopped abruptly as his words sank in. "How did you know about that?"

He smiled victoriously and quirked an eyebrow, "I know all the secrets of your underwear drawer, Elena."

She frowned at him in disappointment, "Were you this much of a pervert in 1864?"

"Nope. Back then I was worse."

As her brain drifted further out of its sleepy haze she took stock of her surroundings and sat up straighter. Cars rushed by them on either side of the highway and by the looks of the vast stretches of farmland extending in every direction they were a long way from Virginia.

"Where are we?" she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

"On I59," Damon answered elusively.

"And why do I feel like I have a hangover from hell?"

Her head was pounding incessantly. Somehow she'd thought that become a vampire would make her immune to hangovers. Apparently she was wrong.

Damon's fingers faltered their drumming rhythm against the steering wheel and he kept his eyes on the road. "That would be the vervain. It does a real number on your system."

"You shot me with vervain?" The sudden tension that filled the car was palpable. Damon's expression hardened and Elena crossed her arms.

"You're right. My bad. I should have let you kill your childhood best friend," he replied with his usual biting sarcasm.

Elena's brows lifted in surprise and the fight quickly drained out of her. The memory slowly came back to her, just bits and pieces at a time. She could remember following Matt outside behind the club. He'd gone with her so willingly. She'd never known it could be so easy to compel someone but with him it'd been natural, like breathing.

The memory of how the salt on his neck had tasted and the richness of his blood as it travelled down her throat made her body burn with need. She was hungry for more. She needed blood. Suddenly every part of her felt like it was on fire, dried out and parched to the point where she would crack and break into a million pieces if she didn't get some blood inside of her soon.

She managed to push her craving aside long enough to ask, "Matt… Is he…?"

"He's fine," Damon reassured her with a sidelong glance. I compelled him and left him with Caroline.

A frown line formed between Elena's brows and she collapsed back against her seat. "She's going to hate me," she muttered.

Caroline was the one person who had been there for her, without hesitation, from the start. She'd helped her through her cravings and taught her that life as a vampire didn't have to be all doom and gloom. And she'd turned around and re-paid her by trying to drain her boyfriend dry.

"I'm a terrible person," she whispered, shocked by what she'd almost done. How could she possibly exist like this? She refused to spend the rest of her life destroying the lives of those closest to her. It wasn't the type of person she was. That was Katherine, not her.

"You're not a terrible person," Damon said, fixing her with a serious look. "You slipped up. It happens. You weren't ready to go out and we should've realized that. This is not your fault, Elena."

She didn't want to argue and she couldn't bear to admit that she was faultless, so instead she remained quiet and stared out the car window. The horizon was a brilliant ménage of colours – tones of yellow, peach and red. She admired the beauty of the sunset for a short while until it dawned on her that the sky wasn't getting darker, it was getting lighter. All around her the world was being bathed in daylight and she was trapped in a car without a day walking ring. Panicked, she turned to Damon who looked as calm as ever in the drivers' seat.

"Are you crazy?!" she demanded, frantic. "Pull over now!"

Damon lifted a brow and tapped soundly on the tinted glass of his window.

"It's not legal, but it's dark enough to keep the sun out. The light can't hurt you as long as you stay inside the car."

"So I'm your prisoner now?" she demanded, feeling her anger towards him flare up once more.

"Till sunset, anyway," he reasoned with a slight shrug.

"And after that?"

"After that it's up to you, but if you want to have any chance of controlling your blood cravings I'd suggest staying far away from Mystic Falls."

At the mention of blood her mouth burned and her stomach clenched. Her hunger was getting worse and this time it wouldn't be ignored. Clutching her stomach, she doubled over and breathed through the pain.

Damon quickly leaned over, opened the glove box and tossed a blood bag at her.

"Never head out on a long drive without one," he advised, turning his attention back to the road.

Elena hardly heard his words. The moment the blood bag landed in her lap she had it in her mouth. The faint metallic taste of the anti-coagulants bloomed unpleasantly across her tongue, but it didn't stop her from sucking the bag dry. When it was empty she came up for air and licked the last of it from her lips.

"Better?" Damon asked with a sideways glance.

She nodded, still catching her breath. The blood's effect had been almost immediate. She could feel her head clearing and her body growing stronger. The last effects of the vervain burned away and she relaxed into her seat.

Another set of songs passed on the radio before she spoke up. "So where did you say we're going again?"

"I didn't," Damon answered with a smile, "but if you must know, we're headed to N'Orleans."

His sudden thick Cajun drawl put a smile on her lips. Maybe he was right. Maybe what she needed was to get as far away from the people she cared about as possible. If she wasn't constantly worried about hurting them or pleasing Stefan perhaps she could actually concentrate on herself and learn how to control her cravings properly.

Though she didn't approve of Damon's methods, he seemed to have the right idea. Maybe she would trust him for once. He'd never put her in harm's way before. Besides, she couldn't ignore the tiny thrill of excitement bubbling up inside her chest. This was the first time they'd had a chance to be alone together since their kiss. Who knew what could happen next?

oOo

Stefan made a vain attempt to dial Elena's number one last time. Just the same as his 67 other attempts, the operator's voice announced from the other end that her phone was currently unavailable. Quietly seething, he hung up and tossed his cellphone at the wall.

"Still no luck?" Caroline hesitantly stepped in from the hall and evaluated the dishevelled man in front of her. His shirt was unbuttoned nearly half way down his chest, his sleeves had been left to hang loose and his hair looked as if he hadn't stopped running his hands through it since they'd first discovered Elena missing.

"This is my fault," he moaned, lashing out at the wall. His fist made a slight impression in the wood but it held up rather well to the punishment. "I should have known something like this would happen."

Caroline agreed, but tactfully decided to remain mum on the subject. By the looks of it, Stefan had enough on his plate already.

"How's Matt?" he asked, suddenly collecting himself together. Caroline sighed and took up pacing by the fireplace.

"He's doing okay. I gave him some of my blood to help him heal faster. He doesn't remember what happened. I've tried to compel it out of him but all he keeps saying is that he doesn't remember."

"It must be Damon," Stefan said with a decisive nod. "He's the only one of us old enough and strong enough to outdo your powers of compulsion."

Caroline nodded in agreement and folded her arms across her chest.

"Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?" she asked, turning the subject back to Elena and Damon.

Stefan sighed heavily and raked his fingers through his hair. "I have no idea. Last time he took her to Georgia. God only knows where he'll decide to go this time."

"Maybe we just have to trust him," Caroline suggested with a shrug. Stefan turned on her, his expression incredulous.

"Well, it's not like he'd ever put her in danger," she said, standing her ground. "I think we both know that he cares for her."

Stefan exhaled sharply and retrieved his phone off the floor. Frustrated, he dialled Elena's number again and the operator's voice repeated its same message.

"Yeah," he answered, dropping his phone onto his desk in defeat. "That's exactly what I'm worried about."

Description

It was hours before her senses slowly began to return. The scent of aged leather was fresh in her nose and she noticed the weight of Damon's jacket draped over her body. Her eyes stubbornly refused to open and for a moment she just listened. The car engine was humming beneath her feet and every so often a car would zip past her window. Beneath those sounds, she could make out the faint melody of Damon singing along with the radio.

Finally cracking an eye, she glanced over at him drumming the steering wheel with his fingertips.

"Ke$ha? Really?" she muttered with just the slightest hint of derision.

Unfazed by her censure, Damon's lips lifted in a small smile and he adjusted the volume knob of the radio. The car filled with the electronic dance beats of "Tik Tok."

"I thought you had better taste in music than this," she said, gesturing with a flip of her hand to the radio.

Damon laughed out loud and eased back against his seat. "This from a girl who keeps a signed Britney Spears single hidden in her underwear drawer."

"What does that-" Elena stopped abruptly as his words sank in. "How did you know about that?"

He smiled victoriously and quirked an eyebrow, "I know all the secrets of your underwear drawer, Elena."

She frowned at him in disappointment, "Were you this much of a pervert in 1864?"

"Nope. Back then I was worse."

As her brain drifted further out of its sleepy haze she took stock of her surroundings and sat up straighter. Cars rushed by them on either side of the highway and by the looks of the vast stretches of farmland extending in every direction they were a long way from Virginia.

"Where are we?" she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

"On I59," Damon answered elusively.

"And why do I feel like I have a hangover from hell?"

Her head was pounding incessantly. Somehow she'd thought that become a vampire would make her immune to hangovers. Apparently she was wrong.

Damon's fingers faltered their drumming rhythm against the steering wheel and he kept his eyes on the road. "That would be the vervain. It does a real number on your system."

"You shot me with vervain?" The sudden tension that filled the car was palpable. Damon's expression hardened and Elena crossed her arms.

"You're right. My bad. I should have let you kill your childhood best friend," he replied with his usual biting sarcasm.

Elena's brows lifted in surprise and the fight quickly drained out of her. The memory slowly came back to her, just bits and pieces at a time. She could remember following Matt outside behind the club. He'd gone with her so willingly. She'd never known it could be so easy to compel someone but with him it'd been natural, like breathing.

The memory of how the salt on his neck had tasted and the richness of his blood as it travelled down her throat made her body burn with need. She was hungry for more. She needed blood. Suddenly every part of her felt like it was on fire, dried out and parched to the point where she would crack and break into a million pieces if she didn't get some blood inside of her soon.

She managed to push her craving aside long enough to ask, "Matt… Is he…?"

"He's fine," Damon reassured her with a sidelong glance. I compelled him and left him with Caroline.

A frown line formed between Elena's brows and she collapsed back against her seat. "She's going to hate me," she muttered.

Caroline was the one person who had been there for her, without hesitation, from the start. She'd helped her through her cravings and taught her that life as a vampire didn't have to be all doom and gloom. And she'd turned around and re-paid her by trying to drain her boyfriend dry.

"I'm a terrible person," she whispered, shocked by what she'd almost done. How could she possibly exist like this? She refused to spend the rest of her life destroying the lives of those closest to her. It wasn't the type of person she was. That was Katherine, not her.

"You're not a terrible person," Damon said, fixing her with a serious look. "You slipped up. It happens. You weren't ready to go out and we should've realized that. This is not your fault, Elena."

She didn't want to argue and she couldn't bear to admit that she was faultless, so instead she remained quiet and stared out the car window. The horizon was a brilliant ménage of colours – tones of yellow, peach and red. She admired the beauty of the sunset for a short while until it dawned on her that the sky wasn't getting darker, it was getting lighter. All around her the world was being bathed in daylight and she was trapped in a car without a day walking ring. Panicked, she turned to Damon who looked as calm as ever in the drivers' seat.

"Are you crazy?!" she demanded, frantic. "Pull over now!"

Damon lifted a brow and tapped soundly on the tinted glass of his window.

"It's not legal, but it's dark enough to keep the sun out. The light can't hurt you as long as you stay inside the car."

"So I'm your prisoner now?" she demanded, feeling her anger towards him flare up once more.

"Till sunset, anyway," he reasoned with a slight shrug.

"And after that?"

"After that it's up to you, but if you want to have any chance of controlling your blood cravings I'd suggest staying far away from Mystic Falls."

At the mention of blood her mouth burned and her stomach clenched. Her hunger was getting worse and this time it wouldn't be ignored. Clutching her stomach, she doubled over and breathed through the pain.

Damon quickly leaned over, opened the glove box and tossed a blood bag at her.

"Never head out on a long drive without one," he advised, turning his attention back to the road.

Elena hardly heard his words. The moment the blood bag landed in her lap she had it in her mouth. The faint metallic taste of the anti-coagulants bloomed unpleasantly across her tongue, but it didn't stop her from sucking the bag dry. When it was empty she came up for air and licked the last of it from her lips.

"Better?" Damon asked with a sideways glance.

She nodded, still catching her breath. The blood's effect had been almost immediate. She could feel her head clearing and her body growing stronger. The last effects of the vervain burned away and she relaxed into her seat.

Another set of songs passed on the radio before she spoke up. "So where did you say we're going again?"

"I didn't," Damon answered with a smile, "but if you must know, we're headed to N'Orleans."

His sudden thick Cajun drawl put a smile on her lips. Maybe he was right. Maybe what she needed was to get as far away from the people she cared about as possible. If she wasn't constantly worried about hurting them or pleasing Stefan perhaps she could actually concentrate on herself and learn how to control her cravings properly.

Though she didn't approve of Damon's methods, he seemed to have the right idea. Maybe she would trust him for once. He'd never put her in harm's way before. Besides, she couldn't ignore the tiny thrill of excitement bubbling up inside her chest. This was the first time they'd had a chance to be alone together since their kiss. Who knew what could happen next?

oOo

Stefan made a vain attempt to dial Elena's number one last time. Just the same as his 67 other attempts, the operator's voice announced from the other end that her phone was currently unavailable. Quietly seething, he hung up and tossed his cellphone at the wall.

"Still no luck?" Caroline hesitantly stepped in from the hall and evaluated the dishevelled man in front of her. His shirt was unbuttoned nearly half way down his chest, his sleeves had been left to hang loose and his hair looked as if he hadn't stopped running his hands through it since they'd first discovered Elena missing.

"This is my fault," he moaned, lashing out at the wall. His fist made a slight impression in the wood but it held up rather well to the punishment. "I should have known something like this would happen."

Caroline agreed, but tactfully decided to remain mum on the subject. By the looks of it, Stefan had enough on his plate already.

"How's Matt?" he asked, suddenly collecting himself together. Caroline sighed and took up pacing by the fireplace.

"He's doing okay. I gave him some of my blood to help him heal faster. He doesn't remember what happened. I've tried to compel it out of him but all he keeps saying is that he doesn't remember."

"It must be Damon," Stefan said with a decisive nod. "He's the only one of us old enough and strong enough to outdo your powers of compulsion."

Caroline nodded in agreement and folded her arms across her chest.

"Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?" she asked, turning the subject back to Elena and Damon.

Stefan sighed heavily and raked his fingers through his hair. "I have no idea. Last time he took her to Georgia. God only knows where he'll decide to go this time."

"Maybe we just have to trust him," Caroline suggested with a shrug. Stefan turned on her, his expression incredulous.

"Well, it's not like he'd ever put her in danger," she said, standing her ground. "I think we both know that he cares for her."

Stefan exhaled sharply and retrieved his phone off the floor. Frustrated, he dialled Elena's number again and the operator's voice repeated its same message.

"Yeah," he answered, dropping his phone onto his desk in defeat. "That's exactly what I'm worried about."