Author's Note: One Desperate Moment takes place after Elena is kidnapped and then rescued by Damon and Stefan. However, Rose tells Elena about Klaus during the kidnapping and at the end of that "episode" Elijah stays dead and Rose disappears. She does NOT come to Mystic Falls. This takes place a few months after that episode and Elena and Damon have become friends again. This is a DELENA fic.
CHAPTER 1
Damon stood perfectly still and gazed down at Elena's sleeping form. He found he did this more and more often when she slept alone at her house. His hand moved, as if of its own volition, and one finger stroked, barely, down her cheek.
There was nothing to indicate that Elena had awoken until she murmured, "Hello, Damon."
A pregnant pause followed in which neither of them moved or spoke.
"How did you know it was me?" Damon asked, his voice quiet and gentle.
Elena's shoulder moved in a sleepy shrug and she said, "Just did. What time is it?"
"It's late," Damon said. "Go back to sleep."
"Are you staying?" Elena asked.
"Do you want me to?" Damon asked after a moment.
Elena rolled to her side and her hand slid under her pillow. "Think you need to," she mumbled as she slid back into sleep.
It was several moments later before Damon eased his way onto the bed, his back propped against the headboard. He remained motionless so as not to disturb her and continued to watch her sleep. Being so close to Elena both comforted and tormented Damon. He turned her last statement over in his mind and wondered what she meant by it. Of course, he'd ask her in the morning if she weren't angry with him for being there in the first place. For all he knew, Elena had thought she was dreaming and would be furious to find him in her room.
As dawn broke across Mystic Falls, Damon watched the process of Elena coming awake. She began to move around slightly, then her face scrunched up and her eyes squeezed shut as if she could block out the coming day, and then, finally, she rolled onto her back and blinked open her eyes.
Damon couldn't help the grin on his face when he asked, "Do you always wake up like that?"
"I don't know," Elena said grumpily. "I'm still asleep."
Damon chuckled slightly as Elena pulled the pillow over her head. After several moments, Elena huffed and threw the pillow away before sitting up. She turned and looked at him intently.
"Are you okay?" Elena asked after several moments.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Damon asked.
Elena merely cocked her head to one side and waited.
"I'm fine," Damon said. "Stefan got a call late last night and had to leave town. He's following up on a lead about Klaus. I figured I'd stop and make sure everything was okay before heading home last night."
Elena nodded to indicate that she'd heard his explanation.
"Last night was difficult for you," she finally said. "Can you tell me why?"
"Well, I'm certainly not used to sharing a bed with a woman without touching her," Damon said wiggling his eyes devilishly.
Elena sighed and said, "You know that's not what I was talking about. If you can't, or just don't want to, tell me, that's fine, Damon. But don't be deliberately dense."
Damon stared at her intently and Elena met his gaze unflinchingly.
"Some of us aren't as strong as Stefan," he finally murmured looking away.
"No one is asking you to eat like Stefan," Elena said. "We're just asking you not to kill while you eat. Is it very difficult to stop before…" She trailed off not knowing how to ask the question.
"Not anymore," Damon said. "It is when you're newly turned. But control is learned quickly."
"Then I don't understand the problem," Elena said. "Maybe I never will since I haven't been through what you have."
Damon was silent for several long moments and then he said, "You are good, Elena. All the way through. That's why you can't understand evil."
"Oh for the love of…" Elena stopped and took a deep breath. "Damon, you are not evil. You have impulse control issues, anger issues, and probably a whole host of other issues. But you aren't evil."
Damon just shook his head with a small, bitter smile.
Elena sighed heavily and said, "I know you think I'm all that is good and right in the world but I'm not. Do you really think I've never wished someone harm? That I've never wanted someone dead? The difference between you and me is that I can't actually make it happen. I'm too small, too weak, and too slow to actually kill someone. And because of that, I have to stop and think about it before I actually hurt someone. You don't have a built in brake like I do."
Damon watched her and said, "Who have you wanted dead?"
"Logan," Elena said immediately. "He hurt Jenna over and over. I wanted him dead so she'd never have to deal with him again. Of course, I didn't want him to be a vampire first. I just wanted him gone. And Vicki. I hated her for hurting my brother when he was so damned lost already. John for obvious reasons. Katherine for tormenting everyone I care about."
Damon shook his head and said, "The reason you would never kill anyone is not because you aren't strong enough or because you have to stop and think about it. It's because you have a reverence for human life that I lost a long time ago. Even if you wanted Vicki dead, you mourned her when Stefan killed her. That's who you are, Elena."
"Maybe you're right, Damon," Elena said after a moment. "I don't even know anymore."
Damon smiled slightly at that and asked, "How did you know it was me? In fact, how did you even know I was in the room?"
"I always know," Elena said simply.
Damon's eyes widened slightly at that. "You never said anything," he said.
"I figured if you wanted to talk about it, you would have brought it up," Elena said.
"Elena," Damon said his patience clearly strained. "I would never have said anything because I thought knowing I came here and watched you sleep would freak you out. Why doesn't it?"
Elena met his gaze and said, "You only come here when you're… I don't know upset, angry, whatever. I'm not going to ask you not to when it's something you clearly need. I know you'd never physically hurt me."
"Nice qualifier on that statement," Damon said with a smirk.
Elena's gaze swept to the doorway where the vampire had snapped Jeremy's neck and then met Damon's once again.
Damon nodded and said, "Okay, I deserved that."
"You can talk to me, Damon," Elena said. "When you need to, when you're ready. Until then, I have to sleep at night anyway so if it helps you to come here and watch me, then so be it."
CHAPTER 2
Elena walked carelessly down the dark street. With the tomb vampires all dead and Katherine sealed away, she felt safer than she had in a long time. The Grille had been okay and it was nice to catch up with Caroline and Bonnie and to see them getting back to being friends but without Stefan or Damon there, Elena had been a little bored. No one else had wanted to leave yet so she had gone alone.
They weren't as fast as vampires and they definitely weren't silent but Elena still did not have time to run away or do more than get out one short scream before they had her on the ground in the back of the alley she had been passing. Elena struggled but there were five of them and all were larger and stronger than she was so her escape attempt was more than a little desperate. As if from a distance she heard cloth tearing and felt the cold bite of cement on her back as her shirt was ripped open and nearly off. She heard a whimpering sound and realized with a start that it was coming from her own throat.
Then, even more suddenly than the attack had started, the two attackers on top of her were gone. Elena heard a gurgling sound and finally focused on the point it emanated from. Damon was ripping a throat out with his teeth.
"You really chose the wrong girl to hurt," Damon growled to the two remaining attackers. "Hell, you chose the wrong town to come to."
Elena turned her head and saw the two who had been on top of her lying against a wall, their heads bent at unnatural angles. Her relief was fairly palpable as she heard Damon finish killing the last two. She waited for him to come to her, to help her but there was only silence and stillness.
Moving as little as possible, Elena turned her head back in the direction she had last seen Damon. He stood there, frozen, and she realized somewhere in her mind that he was covered in blood.
"Damon," her voice was barely a breath but he heard it.
Damon sped to Elena's side and wrapped his black leather jacket around her as he lifted her off the ground. He cradled her carefully in his arms and she allowed her head to fall to his shoulder.
"Hospital?" Damon queried.
Elena had begun to shake but at the question, she shook her head violently. Damon made no comment but began to move with vampiric speed. Elena was not surprised when, moments later, they approached the Salvatore boardinghouse. She remained silent but couldn't stop the trembling still shaking her frame.
Damon eased the door of the house open so as not to jostle Elena. She was still trembling in his arms so he kicked the door shut behind them and moved swiftly into the living room. He eased down onto the couch holding her close.
Elena was relieved when Damon made no move to set her down by herself. His hold was unbreakable but so achingly gentle and she wasn't sure if she would have been able to explain that she needed his arms wrapped around her or she feared the shaking that continued unabated would break her apart. Damon remained silent until her shaking eased down to tremors. He eased his hold slightly and met her gaze.
"Thank you," Elena whispered.
Damon shook his head and Elena could see the fury he was working so hard to contain. She reached up and laid her hand gently against his cheek. His eyes closed and he inhaled deeply. Releasing the breath and opening his eyes, he rose smoothly with her still cradled in his arms.
"Where are we going?" Elena asked as he began to walk.
"Upstairs," Damon said. "You are going to get out of those ruined clothes and I am going to assure myself…"
They entered a room that she had never seen but knew was his without asking. Damon sat her gently on the bed and unwrapped his jacket. Elena had forgotten she was cocooned in it until he removed it from her shoulders. Her cheeks fired bright red as she realized this left her completely exposed from the waist up.
"You are going to have to get over your modesty, Elena," Damon said in a gravely serious tone that was rare for him. "I didn't take you to the hospital so I am damn well going to make sure you have no serious injuries."
"I don't hurt," Elena said.
"Adrenaline," Damon snapped. "It will wear off soon enough. Then you'll feel like hell."
Elena stood carefully while Damon hovered right next to her. She slid the skirt she was wearing down to the floor and stepped out of it. She examined herself starting at her feet but when she saw the first smudges of impending bruises on her thighs, her eyes flew to Damon's face. His eyes were locked on those slight colorations and his jaw was tight with rage. However, his hands were gentle when he took her shoulders and turned her around to examine her back.
"Your shoulders are scraped to hell," he grated out. "And you're going to be a walking bruise in the morning."
"But no permanent damage," Elena said.
Damon shook his head and spun away from her. Elena expected him to speed out of the room but all he did was move to the bathtub and begin to fill it. After testing the water to be sure the temperature was correct, he moved to the closet and pulled out a button down shirt.
"You are going to soak in the tub," Damon said pinning her with his stare. "It will help your muscles not be so tight and will ease some of the aches. The shirt is for when you are done. It will be loose enough to not hurt your bruises and long enough to keep your modesty intact."
"Little late for that," Elena muttered but smiled slightly to let him know she was teasing.
"I'm going to be right out in the hall," Damon continued. "I need to call Alaric about…"
"The bodies," Elena finished when he trailed off. "Have him tell Jenna I called and said I was sleeping at Caroline's tonight. Caroline will cover if Jenna calls since she'll figure that means I'm staying here."
Damon nodded and poured bubble bath into the tub before exiting the room. Elena stared after him for a moment and then slipped out of her underwear and into the warm, fragrant water. She inhaled deeply and then frowned. She recognized that scent. Then she grinned. Damon smelled just like this bubble bath.
The vampire stood outside the door for several moments listening to Elena settle into the bathtub. He took deep breaths to calm down. He moved slightly down the hall and called Alaric.
"Damon," Alaric answered.
"Elena was attacked on her way home," Damon said without preamble. "There are five bodies in the alley off Maple Street that need to be disposed of and I'm not leaving her here alone."
"Is she alright?" Alaric asked, concern evident in his voice.
"She's bruised and battered but she'll be fine," Damon said.
"Vampires?" Alaric asked though his tone indicated he had no doubt of that.
"No," Damon growled. "Human."
"Well, it's a good thing you were there," Alaric said.
The pregnant pause made Alaric nervous. "Damon?"
"I wasn't there," Damon hissed. "I was all the way out near the old cemetery."
"Then how…" Alaric trailed off.
"I heard her scream," Damon said but it was a tortured whisper.
"You got there in time," Alaric said. "That's all that matters."
"The hell it is," Damon muttered. "Look, she also asked that you tell Jenna she's staying at Caroline's tonight. I'll call Caroline and give her a heads up."
"Alright, I'll take care of it," Alaric said. "Just take care of her."
Damon didn't bother to respond he simply ended the call and then called Caroline.
"Damon, what's up?" Caroline asked.
"If Jenna calls, Elena is staying with you but she's in the shower or something," Damon said.
"Is she okay?" Caroline asked immediately.
"She will be," Damon said. He hesitated and then said, "She's probably going to need to talk to you tomorrow because I doubt she's going to want to talk to me about it."
"Because you're Damon or because you're male?" Caroline asked with what Damon considered surprising astuteness.
"Both," Damon said. "But mostly the male thing."
"Okay, I'll come over with clothes first thing in the morning," Caroline said. "Take care of her tonight, Damon."
Damon hung up the phone and shook his head. Why did everyone keep saying that to him like he needed to be told? He had no time to ponder that because Elena called his name.
"I can't stand up," Elena said sounding like she was desperately holding back tears.
Damon grabbed a towel and pulled her to her feet with one hand while wrapping the towel around her with the other. He lifted her out of the tub and sat her on the bed next to the shirt he had left for her. He politely turned his back but could hear her let go of the towel and pick up the shirt. When he was sure she had enough time to button all the buttons, he turned around. Elena stood there, his shirt dwarfing her tiny frame, hugging herself as if she would fall to pieces if her arms weren't wrapped so tightly around her torso.
Moving to the cabinet near the door, Damon poured a glass of whiskey and handed it to Elena. She stared at it as if she had no idea what a glass was. Damon picked her up and settled her on the bed before taking her hand and wrapping it around the glass.
"I know it's not your drink of choice but it'll help," he said quietly.
Elena blinked rapidly and her eyes focused as they met his. He let out an inaudible sigh of relief. She looked at the drink and downed it swiftly only to cough and choke as it burned down her throat.
"See if I waste anymore of my good stuff on you if that's how you're going to drink it," Damon tried to tease and was rewarded with a small but genuine smile.
The smile faded quickly and she took his hand in her much smaller one. "You'll stay?" she asked so quietly that only a vampire would hear it.
"I'm not going anywhere," Damon said and he felt her relax at his answer.