If We Had Met First

Chapter Twelve

            Surprised by the sudden subject change Elena just shrugged, “why what do you think he meant?”

            “I think that he doesn’t believe it was an animal who attacked those people.” Damon replied.

            Elena glanced at her open door to make sure there was no one there to overhear them, “what else could it have been?”

            Like so many of the questions she asked him she already knew the answer but needed to hear him say it, “vampire. He thinks a vampire did it.”

            “How do you know?” She whispered.

            “He called it an animal, that’s how humans see us, as vicious beasts who are more like animal then like them. It only makes sense.” Damon whispered back.

            “But how would he know about vampires? And why would anyone think that?” Elena asked.

            Before he answered Damon grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, “if you hadn’t gotten to know me, started to feel something for me before you find out would you have stayed? Or would you have gone screaming in the opposite direction. I don’t know how he knows but I don’t think there is really anything to worry about besides the big problem of who the vampire is that attacked those people.”

            Elena was relieved, not that she had thought he had anything to do with it but she was pretty sure he would know if Stefan had killed them, and she also knew that if he did know anything about it he would tell her. “So you think that there might be another vampire in town besides Stefan?”

            Damon nodded, and even though he said they should be worried he didn’t look like he actually was. Maybe that was just part of who he was, he was always quite good at hiding his emotions.

            “Elena how are you so okay with all of this?” Damon asked.

            “With what, another vampire being in town?” Elena replied.

            “Not just that, but everything. You barely blinked when I told you what I was, I had expected you to run screaming but you stayed. Then you actually offered me your blood. I just don’t know how you can actually be able to deal with all of that.”

            She thought about her answer for a couple seconds because she wasn’t even quite sure why she was so okay with everything. Sure vampires had always been made out to be monsters in books and in movies but something deep inside her was telling her that Damon wasn’t like that.

            “I think it’s because I can’t see you as a monster, there is something telling me that you aren’t a vicious beast who only lives to drink blood.”

            The minute the words left her mouth Damon’s entire expression changed, he looked like he had just been insulted. His lips barely moved when he said, “you think I’m not a monster?”

            Eyes wide from the shock his sudden change had caused Elena shook her head. She didn’t understand his reaction, it was like he was mad at her for saying that he wasn’t one.

            Just like before the change was instantaneous, he went from what seemed like anger to confused and bewildered. He avoided looking at her and instead focused on his hands which were wrung together.

            “Look at me Damon.” Elena whispered.

            When he did Elena saw something she had never seen before in his eyes, vulnerability. He actually looked vulnerable. Like if she said or did the right thing he would break into a million little pieces. She never thought she would see that look from him, she had never even considered that someone like him could feel like that. Maybe she had assumed that just because he was a vampire he didn’t feel emotion like vulnerability but just because he was a vampire didn’t mean he wasn’t a person.