VD: Incalescent , part 1 [18+]
Title: Incalescent
Author: pith
Spoilers: VD 1-3; an AU in which VD4 onward doesn't exist
Part: 1/2
Disclaimers: Characters and world belong to LJS. I wrote this for Camp NaNoWriMo April 2017, so it's shaky. I've never been to Harvard (or Paris, or Italy), so I'm sure I have all the technical details (distances, amenities, etc.) wrong. Apologies!
Warnings: m/f sexual content
Summary: In the wake of Elena's death, Damon and Meredith grow closer.
Winter was a fitting time to say goodbye to an ice princess, Meredith thought, even if it had been Elena's least favourite season. Elena had always hated having to wear thick coats and unstylish boots, and she would rather get cold than take the risk that wearing a toque or hood would mess up her hair. Well, she doesn't have to worry about that anymore.
In the weeks following Elena's death, the snow seemed to be unending. It was only January and Fell's Church had already received double its usual amount of snow for the season. Adults were investing in winter tires for the first time in years; enterprising kids were making small fortunes by shovelling sidewalks and driveways. And nearly every day, Meredith trudged through the snow to Elena's grave. She had given up trying to keep the stone completely clean, but she made sure the area around it was tidy. Most of the other graves in the yard were languishing for company, their loved ones not quite intrepid enough to brave the cold to pay a visit.
Using her mittened hands like mini shovels, Meredith cleared the area around Elena's headstone before cleaning the stone itself. It was too hard to clear the letters themselves, but she knew the stone by heart now. Her feet knew the way and sometimes brought her this way even when she meant to be heading to school or Bonnie's or Matt's. The cemetery had its own type of peace, but it was more than that. In life, Elena had been Meredith's closest friend, her only true confidant; in death, Elena was still a sounding board for her. Bonnie had exhausted her grief through tears and Matt had thrown himself into his sports, but Meredith still found herself aching. She couldn't keep up the daily visits forever, she knew; it wasn't healthy, and Elena wouldn't want her to bring her life to a screeching halt. For now, though, the vigils helped calm the riot in her heart. "There aren't any good flowers in town yet," she told the grave as she knelt in the cleared area, "but as soon as spring comes, I'll bring you some every day."
When she heard footsteps behind her, she expected someone to say You know they can't hear you, right? But the visitor stayed silent so she stood and turned around, only half surprised to see Damon. "Hi. I didn't realize you were in town." Wiping off her jeans, she gestured at the headstone. "I just came to . . . well, I was about to leave."
"No, you weren't." Damon's tone wasn't accusatory, though, and when Meredith met his gaze, she saw that the customary flintiness was gone from his eyes: they were still dark and unfathomable, but now they reminded her of ashes. "You just got here."
Meredith shrugged. "It's okay. You must be busy, and you don't get here often. I can come back later."
"Or you could stay." Then Damon shrugged, turning his gaze to the headstone. "When Elena made Stefan and me promise to take care of each other," he added, voice low, "she didn't just mean me and my brother. She meant all of us."
"I'm fine," Meredith said reflexively.
Damon raised an eyebrow. "Really? How often do you come here?" When Meredith didn't answer, he kept on. "How often does Bonnie come here? Or Matt? Or even Judith?"
"They're busy." Meredith tried to tamp down her defensiveness, but it was a losing battle. Ever since Elena's death, all her emotions had been lurking too close to the surface. "The football team is going to make the playoffs this year, so Matt has extra practices. Bonnie's helping her sister with her medical school studies. And Judith has Margaret to worry about."
"And you? What do you have? Damon crouched in front of the headstone and started chipping snow and ice out of Elena's name with a bare finger.
"I . . . have time to come here and visit. I know she's not here, not in any way that matters, but I think she'd like to know that someone was taking care of her spot." Meredith wrapped her arms around herself, cursing the snowflakes that were starting to spiral out of the sky. She usually didn't stay this long on cold days, but now she didn't feel right leaving Damon all alone.
Damon glanced up at her. "I have time too. What a coincidence." As he stood, he offered an arm to Meredith. "Your cheeks are getting red. Let me take you for coffee before you go home." Before Meredith could protest, he added, "Or tea, or whatever beverage you want."
"You don't have to." Against her better sense, Meredith found herself slipping her arm in Damon's. It made for an awkward walk among the gravestones, but they quickly made their way to the path. "I can just make something at home."
"You could," Damon agreed, "but if your parents are home, they'll probably ask you why you're spending so much time in the cemetery, won't they? So come have coffee-or tea, or whatever-with me and I'll drive you home. I'll park far enough away that your parents won't get a good look at the car, so you can say it was a teacher from school or one of Bonnie's sisters or whoever you like."
"Why?" Meredith made sure she brushed all the snow off her pants before she got in Damon's car. It was just a rental, but it was still a luxury model and she didn't want to be the poor soul who marred the interior. "Any of this . . . why?"
Damon turned up the heat in the car and directed all the front vents to face Meredith. "Because you intrigue me, Meredith Sulez. In my very long life, that happens rarely. And you'll have a comparatively short life-"
"Thanks for the reminder," Meredith interjected. Dark humour was one thing, but when she could still see the top of Elena's gravestone from the car, it didn't sit well.
"As I was saying-" Damon barely skipped a beat. "Your life will be comparatively shorter, so our paths will only intersect for a brief time. So if I want to unravel your mysteries, I'd better start now."
Meredith had to stifle a laugh. Unravel your mysteries sounded like a bad euphemism in a romance novel. "There's nothing mysterious about me, Damon. You'll be finished your questions before I'm finished my tea."
"As always, you underestimate me." Once the engine was warmed up, Damon pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive. "Pick a café," he said, "preferably one with a strong espresso."
#
Spring brought many more visits to cafes, the drinks giving way from hot to iced, and Damon and Meredith walked as much as they could. The town's collective memory seemed to have gaps where Damon was concerned. No one appeared to remember him, and even the few who were willing to talk about Stefan didn't see any resemblance. To Fell's Church, Damon was now simply an out-of-towner who came to visit Meredith regularly and also frequented the cemetery.
"I think they think you're another historian," Meredith confided, taking a long sip of her iced tea. Their favourite café made it from actual tea, not just some powdered mix, and while the difference in taste had been odd at first, now she found herself unable to drink the overly sweet kind anymore.
"I'm certainly historical." Damon had always adapted well to the new decades, the changing trends, but sometimes talking with Meredith made him feel his true age. When she smiled at his pun, he felt strangely redeemed. "No one's giving you any trouble, are they?"
Meredith shook her head, swishing her straw around in her take-out cup. The café had been full and it was a gorgeous evening, so she and Damon chose to walk around town instead. Fell's Church had never really excited her, but now that she was exploring it with an outsider, it was like seeing it with fresh eyes. "No. I'm sure the groundskeepers at the cemetery wish I didn't bring flowers for Elena quite so often, but I can't bear to see her grave looking plain. She'd hate it. I know she would."
Damon nudged her with his shoulder, wondering if she would think it was a simple misstep on his part or a deliberate touch. "You can't stay here forever. You know that."
"Of course," Meredith scoffed. "I have a full scholarship to Harvard, remember?" When she received her acceptance letter, it wasn't her parents she wanted to tell first or even Bonnie or Matt, but Damon, strangely enough. She hadn't waited until his next visit, but even though she had told her family and friends almost a week before him, his reaction was the one that meant the most. Her parents had always been proud of her and always would be; her friends never doubted her intelligence. Damon, though, seemed to celebrate every milestone she told him about, no matter how inane. He was over half a millennium old, after all, and probably hadn't cared about things like school grades for centuries-if ever, she reminded herself-but he always absorbed her news with interest. "And then I'll have to think about grad school. . . ."
"And then?" Damon prodded. "You can't come back here. You can't let some sense of obligation to Elena tie you to this place. She would want you to move on. You know that."
Meredith nodded. Matt had already left, since his college was holding early football tryouts. Bonnie was taking a year off to figure out what she wanted to do, but was going to spend some time with cousins in Scotland in the interim. Of her core friends, she was the only one still in town. "I know. I'd come to visit my parents, of course, and Margaret."
"And Elena." Damon stopped and cupped her jaw. "Meredith, trust me on this if nothing else. You cannot live in the past. It doesn't work. It's not good for anyone."
"I know. I'm just not sure about what I want anymore." Meredith's cheeks flushed so hot she was sure Damon's fingertips must be burning, but he didn't move away. "I thought I had everything planned out, and now I'm not so sure."
"Because of Elena?" Damon seemed closer now. If she believed in Bonnie's theories, Meredith would have thought her energy field was merging with Damon's.
"A bit, yes," Meredith admitted, tightening her grip on her iced tea cup. It was sweating in the unseasonably warm weather and her hand was slick too. "But not just because of her."
"What else?" Damon dropped his hand from her jaw and took her cup from her before it could drop to the sidewalk and spill, attracting the season's first wasps. The store they had stopped beside had a wide window sill and he set Meredith's cup and his own on it, holding her gaze all the while.
"Not what." There was a lump in Meredith's throat that made it hard to speak. Right after Elena died, most of Meredith's emotions were too raw, too volatile. She had hoped they would even out over time. Months had passed, though, and she was still feeling things so strongly it hurt at times-and one of those things was a growing affection for Damon. She tried explaining it away as kinship, or bonding in their grief, but now she knew there was more to it. She just couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Who then?" Damon's gaze shone like polished obsidian, and his voice was a bit strangled too. Someone pushing a stroller walked past and he deftly moved Meredith out of the way without breaking eye contact.
"You." It came out like a resigned sigh, a secret gone stale, and Meredith wished she could take it back. "Don't worry, though," she blurted, desperate to cover her tracks. "It's just me, and-"
Damon pulled her against him, but a few moments passed before the kiss began, as if he were giving her plenty of time to back out. When she didn't, he leaned in and teased her lips with his before conjuring the kiss, a meeting of pent-up emotions and confused thoughts and spring-stoked hormones. Rising on tip-toe, Meredith wrapped an arm around his neck and leaned into the kiss fully, her other hand sliding into his hair.
Meredith gasped when Damon tightened his arm around her waist, and she took a moment to catch her breath. "So. Not just me?" she hazarded.
Damon smiled against her cheek. "Not just you."
#
Summer's heat was trying to make up for the amplified winter, and Meredith hated it. The air conditioning in her parents' house was never quite enough to do more than keep the rooms at a bearable heat, and anytime she went outside felt like sinking into the fiery pits of hell. The humidity forced her to keep her hair in buns or high ponytails most the time because she couldn't bear to have it against her neck; there had been more than a few days where she contemplated going to the salon and getting all her hair chopped off, and her mother had placed some preventative calls so the stylists wouldn't give her anything more than a trim. To combat the heat, Meredith had practically been living in breezy sundresses, but even those clung to her skin. I hope it's cooler in Cambridge, she thought as she got ready to meet up with Damon. She only had a few weeks before she moved to her off-campus residence near Harvard, and most of her things were already packed. Since Matt and Bonnie were both out of town, it wasn't as if she had many distractions.
Damon was a distraction, she supposed, but so much more. She hadn't been quite ready to tell her parents she was dating a vampire, so after that first kiss in the spring, they had started spending most of their time together out of Fell's Church. Visits to Elena's grave were becoming less and less regular, but Meredith didn't think Elena minded. The last time she was there, she asked if Elena was okay with her dating Damon. A passing breeze showered Meredith with tiny lilac petals, which she took as a yes.
Since Meredith's parents were out of town, Damon was free to pick her up at her house and she waited for him out front, her overnight bag at her feet. They had started going to concerts and museums together-in between the make-out sessions that left her dizzy and craving things she had only read about in her aunt's steamier romance novels-and Meredith loved the events as much as she did spending time with Damon. The more time she spent out of Fell's Church, the lighter she felt; every time Damon arrived-like now, sliding to a stop in front of the Sulez house-her whole body felt like it was smiling. "Hey." She tossed her bag into the back and buckled in before Damon sped back into traffic. She leaned over the console and kissed his cheek. "I missed you. What's on for this weekend?"
"A surprise." Damon said that almost every time, but Meredith rarely tired of it. He knew her tastes well enough that he always picked something she enjoyed, and it was really more about spending the time together. Once her classes started, so much of her freedom would be gone.
"Not a fancy one, I hope. I didn't pack any fancy clothes," she said, casting a wary look at her duffel bag in the back.
"Why did you bother packing clothes?" Damon teased. That was all it was, though: teasing, agonizing and delicious and completely at the pace Meredith found comfortable. Damon had been quite clear about his feelings about sex-as soon as possible, as much as possible, and did he mention often?-but had never once pressured her. In their weeks of dating, they had definitely explored and experimented, but sex was one of the few things they hadn't done. "There's a film festival up north," he added, "air conditioned, before you ask, and their weather isn't as hellish."
"Thank god." Meredith cranked the air conditioning as far as it would go and sprawled in the passenger seat, trying not to stick to herself. "I've been tempted to transfer to a university in Russia just to get away from this heat."
"I don't think you need quite so drastic a move." Damon continued on, explaining a bit about the film festival while he drove. It took just over an hour to get there, and after they picked up their tickets-showings didn't start until the next afternoon-he headed towards their hotel. "There are some walking trails around here," he added, "but I thought you might want to settle in first."
"Which is your polite way of saying take a shower to get a layer of sweat off before generating another," Meredith laughed, leaning across to bite his earlobe as he parked.
"I said nothing of the kind." Damon grabbed both bags and led Meredith inside. The proprietor was Italian and Meredith listened to the exchange with earnest, noting differences between the old Italian the Salvatores spoke with each other and this more modern version. It was so easy to see languages as static things when in actuality they changed dramatically over the years. "I got us the best suite, of course. Penthouse with an expansive view of the river."
"Thank you." Meredith nestled close once they got in the elevator. Damon's vampire nature regrettably didn't mean his skin was excessively cold, but he was still cooler than she was. Sliding a hand up his bare forearm, Meredith sighed. "I wish I felt that cool."
"It's supposed to rain overnight here, so that should help a bit." When the elevator dinged at their floor, Damon tugged Meredith into the hallway. "And I had them start the air conditioning in the room when we left Fell's Church, so the room should be cooled off."
"Mm. You're the best." Meredith pulled him into a deep kiss as he tried to unlock the door, sending them both tumbling inside the suite. "This is nice," she murmured, glancing around quickly. The suite was decorated in light blues and greys, making her feel cooler already, and she stepped in front of one of the air conditioning units, basking in the chill while Damon took off his shoes and set their bags on a table. "Ahhhh."
After a moment, Damon tugged her away. "Go shower. It'll feel better."
"Come with me." Meredith teetered a bit as she kicked off her sandals. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but there it was, dangling between them. She didn't feel any sense of regret, though, just a curious shiver of anticipation; she had been having dreams of fucking Damon for weeks, but in her waking life, something had always stopped her. Reaching up to the back of her neck, she untied the neck strap that held her sundress in place. The thin fabric fluttered to the floor, stalling a bit over her hips. Then she unhooked her strapless bra and added it to the pile.
This was as much as Damon had seen of her, and his dark eyes were glittering with desire. "Meredith. . . ." He took a few steps closer, but stopped himself just short of touching her.
"I know I don't have to. You know what else I know?" Meredith closed the gap between them and kissed him, pressing close. His erection was almost painfully hard and she rubbed against it, making him growl. "I know I want to. Please."
When she started to push her panties down, though, Damon stopped her. "No. I want to." His hands had touched nearly every inch of her; his fingers had been inside her, once making her come in full view of her house. But seeing all of her at once was going to be one of those moments he wanted to savour.
Meredith let her hands fall away. "Okay." Her breathing started to shudder as Damon's hands slid over her hips, pulling gently on the fabric. "Um. Condoms? I have some in my bag." She had been bringing them along on their excursions for a while now, just in case, unwilling to sacrifice the perfect opportunity due to lack of foresight.
"Not necessary." Damon whispered the answer against her bare hip as he inched her panties down. Once they were past her knees, Meredith lifted one foot and then the other so he could take them off. "But don't forget your shower."
"What?" Meredith's mind was already racing ahead, imagining what it would be like. She had given Damon handjobs before, always wondering what it would feel like to have his cock inside her, to have him over and over again.
Damon started to unbutton his shirt. "You were going to have a shower," he repeated.
"We were." Meredith started kissing him again, eagerly pulling his shirt off. They might not have had sex in the most technical sense, but they had done plenty of other things. As she worked on undoing his belt, she remembered a time when they were stuck in a downpour, the rain coming too fast to make it safe to drive even with Damon's vampire reflexes. He had playfully suggested she give him a lap dance to pass the time and she had obliged; she ended up naked to the waist, grinding hard enough against him that they both came, the windows steaming up around them. "A penthouse like this must have a nice shower."
"Let's see." Damon stepped out of his pants and lifted Meredith up easily, carrying her into the large bathroom. "I think that will fit us both quite nicely."
Meredith turned just enough to see what Damon was talking about. The shower stall was probably larger than her bed at home, complete with a bench at one end, almost a dozen built-in shelves, and a showerhead bigger than her handspan. "It's perfect."
"Not quite yet." Damon carried her inside and set her down before turning on the water, careful not to set it too cool too fast. Then he sank to his knees and lightly nipped her inner thigh. "Now it's perfect."
"Mm. Getting there, but not yet." Meredith leaned back against the shower wall and let the cool water stream over her as Damon kissed his way up her body. He stopped between her legs, using both tongue and fingers to make her come before he continued up; by the time their bodies were even, Meredith was drenched in more ways than one. "Damon, please." For a moment, she worried that he was going to make her spell out what she wanted word for word, but she had felt how hard his cock was; he was as hungry for it as she was.
He eased into her slowly, but she still gasped and squirmed a bit, unaccustomed to the size. "Thank you," Damon murmured against her ear, thrusting gently into her. "I've been wanting this since-"
"Since when?" Meredith wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his shoulders. There was no way she could possibly get as close as she wanted. Normally all the sounds would be distracting her-the splash of water around them, the squeak of her back sliding against the shower wall, the smack of flesh on flesh-but all she could think about was the feel of Damon inside her.
"Since that kiss. The first one. I would have had you against the wall if you'd let me." The muscles in Damon's back tensed. "Shit. I have to-"
"Don't stop. Please. Please don't." Meredith was glad Damon didn't need much convincing. Near the end, he forgot himself, thrusting so hard it almost hurt. Around them the water was starting to warm, but temperature was the furthest thing from her mind. "Please, Damon, please." Each time she said his name seemed to spur him on, so she kept murmuring in his ear, against his shoulders until he climaxed with a jerk that nearly sent both of them to the shower floor.
Damon took a moment to collect himself before lowering Meredith's feet to the floor. Then he kissed her hard, making her moan again. "Thank you," he said again, softer this time, a whisper almost lost to the water.
Meredith went to her knees, licking a straight line up Damon's cock while she looked up at him. "Don't thank me yet," she murmured before taking him in her mouth. The warm water streamed down her face and Damon's hands sank into her hair, and Meredith was starting to think she'd never be able to think of a shower the same way again.
#
Autumn was a criminally underrated season in Meredith's opinion. True, it was frustrating that you usually needed a warm jacket in the morning and then none at all by late afternoon, and all the wasps seemed to go berserk. Beyond that, though, it was amazing. The carpet of fallen leaves looked like dry fire under foot. The weather was usually perfect for a cosy sweater, and you could warm your hands with a hot drink rather than gloves. Fall was so much more than just the gateway to winter.
Maybe it's because most students don't welcome the return to school, Meredith mused. She loved getting back to her studies, firing up her brain and absorbing as much new information as she could. Her first term at Harvard was challenging, but deliciously so. After her classes ended each day, her brain almost hurt from exertion, but it was the pleasant burn of a muscle being exercised. For the most part, the students wanted to be there; regrettably, there were some trust fund babies and status seekers, but most students were like her, bright and eager and wanting to prove themselves.
Another perk of autumn was the cooler weather, which meant that sex with Damon wasn't quite as sticky as it had been in the peak of summer. Since she had a full scholarship, she used some of the education fund her parents had set up for her to rent an off-campus apartment; living with a stranger and having communal showers wasn't something Meredith wanted to endure. The privacy was wonderful, and the distance from school was a blessing in disguise, allowing her brain to have some time and space to settle. It also meant she didn't have to worry about any roommates objecting to Damon's visits. He usually spent the weekends with Meredith, so she made a point of finishing up as much of her schoolwork as possible during the week. Given the choice between Damon and history homework, there was no contest.
That Saturday morning, Meredith woke up first, which was a rare occurrence. Usually Damon liked to tease her awake with gentle touches and well-placed kisses, but he was still dozing, eyes flickering behind their lids. Meredith took advantage of the occasion and eased herself on top of him, bearing most of her weight on her knees. Then she leaned low over him, breasts skimming his chest as she nipped lightly at his neck. An approving growl rumbled low in his gut and Damon slid his hands up Meredith's thighs. "Good morning," she murmured against his neck. "I got up earlier than you for once."
"I had a busy day yesterday," Damon countered, pulling her closer as they kissed. "Travelling, conducting some business, and then I had to go visit my girlfriend. She's very demanding, you know. Takes up most of my weekends."
Meredith sighed as Damon slid a hand up her back. "Demanding girlfriends are the worst. You should probably dump her."
"I can't. The sex is too good." In one smooth move, Damon switched their positions and slid inside her, making Meredith gasp mid-laugh. "And her ass is amazing."
As Damon started to move inside her, Meredith held him as close as possible. "The sex can't be that good." The teasing was a game for them, but a kernel of that worry held more truth than she liked.
"Oh, but it is," Damon insisted. The bed was squeaking a bit beneath them now, and he seemed resolved to make Meredith's moans mask the sound. "She's incredible. You wouldn't believe what she can do with her fingers. And her mouth. And then there's her hips-" On cue, Damon tightened his grip on her hips, thrusting harder. "There's only one downside, really."
Meredith's brain had already sunk into a pleasant pre-orgasm fog, blurring all her senses into one jumble of pleasure. "Oh? What's . . . what's that?" She dug her nails into his sides, but it didn't faze him in the least.
Leaning close, Damon licked the curve of her jaw. "Her bed's too small. Pitfall of a student budget, I suppose." He let one hand fall away from her hip and Meredith tried to bring it back in vain, but he had already slid it under his pillow. "But I suppose that's easy to fix."
"Maybe her room won't fit anything bigger than a double," Meredith panted, trying to watch Damon's questing hand. Affordable off-campus housing was at a premium, and since she had started looking with such short notice, she considered herself fortunate to find an apartment perched over a cafe with an adjoining deli.
"Maybe." Damon brought his other hand back and pressed it to her neck. There was something small and cool between his palm and her skin, equal parts curves and sharp edges. He had grazed her with his fangs before, always stopping short of a full feed, so the sensation wasn't entirely new. Sliding his hand down over one breast, he stopped when it was once again on her hip. "Careful," he cautioned when she arched up to meet him. "Don't want to cut yourself."
Meredith came with a strangled sound, but her body didn't truly sink back into the bed until Damon climaxed as well, sprawling out beside her. His grip on her hips had slackened when he came, and she felt the small object-no longer cool, thanks to her body heat-slip down her side. She rummaged at her side until she found it and held it up for inspection. "A key?" She turned her head to the side to glance at Damon. "I don't think that's going to solve my bed size woes."
Damon tapped her temple. "Think, Meredith. Look."
A second glance at the key didn't provide much more insight than the first look had. It didn't appear to be a car key, but beyond that, she didn't know enough about keys to make any educated guesses. "I give up."
"What a shame. I guess I'll have to break in my new king-sized bed with my other demanding girlfriend, then." Damon fixed his gaze to the ceiling for a moment before grinning and pulling Meredith back on top of him. "You're understandably undone at the moment, so I'll take pity on you." He plucked the key from Meredith's hand and trailed it down her side, leaving a small scratch. "I figured I'm already here three or four days a week," he began, "and this apartment is barely big enough for you. So I bought one of the small houses down the block. It's nothing exceptional, but it does have more room, more privacy-and a master suite capable of fitting a king-sized bed. When I'm off visiting Stefan, you'll have plenty of room to spread out and study. When I'm here. . . ." His wicked grin said the rest. "And real estate goes quickly here; I won't have a problem selling it when you graduate."
"You bought a house." Meredith's voice was hollow with shock. "You bought a house for me."
"For us," Damon corrected, "unless you plan on bringing over that domineering boyfriend of yours when I'm away." He sat up against the headboard and hugged Meredith close, kissing her shoulder. "It doesn't have to mean anything. Like I said, real estate goes quickly here. I'm sure I'll make a profit when I go to sell it."
"For us," Meredith echoed, voice almost a purr. After giving Damon a heady kiss that almost made her lungs protest, she sat back a bit. "When do I get to see it? Is it yours now, or are you waiting on paperwork, or what's going on?" She gave him a playful shove. "How did you keep all that a secret? I didn't suspect a thing!"
Damon just smiled. "I recall saying I had a busy day yesterday. Everything's sorted. We can go whenever you like. There's no rush to bring over your things."
"Now." Meredith slid off him, hopped off the bed, and started looking around for clean clothes to wear. When Damon was over, she rarely bothered getting dressed, and there was little point in wearing underwear on the weekends. As she shimmied into a pair of clean panties, she glanced over and saw Damon still on the bed, watching her. "Well? Come on! You can't go over like that. If your demanding girlfriend can't afford a bedroom with a king-sized bed," she teased, "she certainly can't afford to bail you out of jail for indecent exposure." She slipped on a bra almost as quickly as Damon could take hers off, and then pulled a sweater dress over her head, smoothing it over her hips.
"I'm starting you think you and my girlfriend might get along." Damon finally rose and got dressed as well, handing Meredith the key. "Yours," he said. "I didn't want to get a keychain in case. . . ." He trailed off as he opened the door to her apartment. "Shall we walk or drive?"
Meredith was tempted to take the car. They'd get there faster, which meant more time to enjoy the house. It couldn't be a long walk, though, and she wanted to see how far it was from campus by foot. Besides, she loved walking beside Damon, feeling the muscles in his arm under her fingers, watching the way people watched him. "Let's walk."
"Walk it is." Damon bought them coffees from the cafe to drink on the way, and between sips he told Meredith about the house's amenities and history. "You can have friends over to study if you like, but if I'm here. . . ."
"If you're here," Meredith interjected, kissing his cheek, "they can wait." When Damon stopped in front of a beautiful little blue house, she smiled. It was almost a lapis blue, but the shade no longer gave her pangs of grief; now she associated it more with the rings that kept Damon and Stefan safe. "I love it."
"Wait until you see the inside before you claim undying devotion." Damon watched her as they walked up to the house, Meredith opening the door with barely restrained glee.
It was evident that more than a day's work had gone into the modest house. All the wood floors were polished and spotless, the walls looked freshly painted, and the appliances in the kitchen were all new. "I'm guessing I get dibs on the kitchen," Meredith joked.
"Kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom." Damon gave her the cursory tour she imagined him getting from the real estate agent. "I thought you could use the dining room as a study." Then Damon pointed to the stairs. "I believe there's a certain bed upstairs. . . ."
Under different circumstances, Meredith would have explored the main floor first, absorbing Damon's sense of design and decor. She had other things on her mind, though, and she practically pulled Damon up the stairs, ignoring the second bathroom and smaller bedroom entirely. "Here?"
"Here." Damon opened the half-shut door and motioned Meredith inside. "North facing, to avoid most of the sun, with blackout curtains for safety. The en suite is workable."
Meredith didn't bother looking at the en suite or to see how much room was in the closet. The bed dominating the room drew all her attention. It looked even larger than the one her parents had at home, and she was hardly surprised to see black sheets and a matching comforter. "It's huge. If I was in the center, I probably wouldn't be able to touch any of the edges."
"I imagine you could probably do the splits on it," Damon added, "not that I've envisioned that at all."
"Really? Not at all?" Meredith tugged her sweater dress back over her head, tossed it at Damon, and crawled onto the huge bed. "Let's see. If not, you might have to return the bed."
Damon's gaze heated as he watched Meredith stretch out on the bed. "I don't think they'll take it back after I'm done with you today."
Author: pith
Spoilers: VD 1-3; an AU in which VD4 onward doesn't exist
Part: 1/2
Disclaimers: Characters and world belong to LJS. I wrote this for Camp NaNoWriMo April 2017, so it's shaky. I've never been to Harvard (or Paris, or Italy), so I'm sure I have all the technical details (distances, amenities, etc.) wrong. Apologies!
Warnings: m/f sexual content
Summary: In the wake of Elena's death, Damon and Meredith grow closer.
Winter was a fitting time to say goodbye to an ice princess, Meredith thought, even if it had been Elena's least favourite season. Elena had always hated having to wear thick coats and unstylish boots, and she would rather get cold than take the risk that wearing a toque or hood would mess up her hair. Well, she doesn't have to worry about that anymore.
In the weeks following Elena's death, the snow seemed to be unending. It was only January and Fell's Church had already received double its usual amount of snow for the season. Adults were investing in winter tires for the first time in years; enterprising kids were making small fortunes by shovelling sidewalks and driveways. And nearly every day, Meredith trudged through the snow to Elena's grave. She had given up trying to keep the stone completely clean, but she made sure the area around it was tidy. Most of the other graves in the yard were languishing for company, their loved ones not quite intrepid enough to brave the cold to pay a visit.
Using her mittened hands like mini shovels, Meredith cleared the area around Elena's headstone before cleaning the stone itself. It was too hard to clear the letters themselves, but she knew the stone by heart now. Her feet knew the way and sometimes brought her this way even when she meant to be heading to school or Bonnie's or Matt's. The cemetery had its own type of peace, but it was more than that. In life, Elena had been Meredith's closest friend, her only true confidant; in death, Elena was still a sounding board for her. Bonnie had exhausted her grief through tears and Matt had thrown himself into his sports, but Meredith still found herself aching. She couldn't keep up the daily visits forever, she knew; it wasn't healthy, and Elena wouldn't want her to bring her life to a screeching halt. For now, though, the vigils helped calm the riot in her heart. "There aren't any good flowers in town yet," she told the grave as she knelt in the cleared area, "but as soon as spring comes, I'll bring you some every day."
When she heard footsteps behind her, she expected someone to say You know they can't hear you, right? But the visitor stayed silent so she stood and turned around, only half surprised to see Damon. "Hi. I didn't realize you were in town." Wiping off her jeans, she gestured at the headstone. "I just came to . . . well, I was about to leave."
"No, you weren't." Damon's tone wasn't accusatory, though, and when Meredith met his gaze, she saw that the customary flintiness was gone from his eyes: they were still dark and unfathomable, but now they reminded her of ashes. "You just got here."
Meredith shrugged. "It's okay. You must be busy, and you don't get here often. I can come back later."
"Or you could stay." Then Damon shrugged, turning his gaze to the headstone. "When Elena made Stefan and me promise to take care of each other," he added, voice low, "she didn't just mean me and my brother. She meant all of us."
"I'm fine," Meredith said reflexively.
Damon raised an eyebrow. "Really? How often do you come here?" When Meredith didn't answer, he kept on. "How often does Bonnie come here? Or Matt? Or even Judith?"
"They're busy." Meredith tried to tamp down her defensiveness, but it was a losing battle. Ever since Elena's death, all her emotions had been lurking too close to the surface. "The football team is going to make the playoffs this year, so Matt has extra practices. Bonnie's helping her sister with her medical school studies. And Judith has Margaret to worry about."
"And you? What do you have? Damon crouched in front of the headstone and started chipping snow and ice out of Elena's name with a bare finger.
"I . . . have time to come here and visit. I know she's not here, not in any way that matters, but I think she'd like to know that someone was taking care of her spot." Meredith wrapped her arms around herself, cursing the snowflakes that were starting to spiral out of the sky. She usually didn't stay this long on cold days, but now she didn't feel right leaving Damon all alone.
Damon glanced up at her. "I have time too. What a coincidence." As he stood, he offered an arm to Meredith. "Your cheeks are getting red. Let me take you for coffee before you go home." Before Meredith could protest, he added, "Or tea, or whatever beverage you want."
"You don't have to." Against her better sense, Meredith found herself slipping her arm in Damon's. It made for an awkward walk among the gravestones, but they quickly made their way to the path. "I can just make something at home."
"You could," Damon agreed, "but if your parents are home, they'll probably ask you why you're spending so much time in the cemetery, won't they? So come have coffee-or tea, or whatever-with me and I'll drive you home. I'll park far enough away that your parents won't get a good look at the car, so you can say it was a teacher from school or one of Bonnie's sisters or whoever you like."
"Why?" Meredith made sure she brushed all the snow off her pants before she got in Damon's car. It was just a rental, but it was still a luxury model and she didn't want to be the poor soul who marred the interior. "Any of this . . . why?"
Damon turned up the heat in the car and directed all the front vents to face Meredith. "Because you intrigue me, Meredith Sulez. In my very long life, that happens rarely. And you'll have a comparatively short life-"
"Thanks for the reminder," Meredith interjected. Dark humour was one thing, but when she could still see the top of Elena's gravestone from the car, it didn't sit well.
"As I was saying-" Damon barely skipped a beat. "Your life will be comparatively shorter, so our paths will only intersect for a brief time. So if I want to unravel your mysteries, I'd better start now."
Meredith had to stifle a laugh. Unravel your mysteries sounded like a bad euphemism in a romance novel. "There's nothing mysterious about me, Damon. You'll be finished your questions before I'm finished my tea."
"As always, you underestimate me." Once the engine was warmed up, Damon pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive. "Pick a café," he said, "preferably one with a strong espresso."
#
Spring brought many more visits to cafes, the drinks giving way from hot to iced, and Damon and Meredith walked as much as they could. The town's collective memory seemed to have gaps where Damon was concerned. No one appeared to remember him, and even the few who were willing to talk about Stefan didn't see any resemblance. To Fell's Church, Damon was now simply an out-of-towner who came to visit Meredith regularly and also frequented the cemetery.
"I think they think you're another historian," Meredith confided, taking a long sip of her iced tea. Their favourite café made it from actual tea, not just some powdered mix, and while the difference in taste had been odd at first, now she found herself unable to drink the overly sweet kind anymore.
"I'm certainly historical." Damon had always adapted well to the new decades, the changing trends, but sometimes talking with Meredith made him feel his true age. When she smiled at his pun, he felt strangely redeemed. "No one's giving you any trouble, are they?"
Meredith shook her head, swishing her straw around in her take-out cup. The café had been full and it was a gorgeous evening, so she and Damon chose to walk around town instead. Fell's Church had never really excited her, but now that she was exploring it with an outsider, it was like seeing it with fresh eyes. "No. I'm sure the groundskeepers at the cemetery wish I didn't bring flowers for Elena quite so often, but I can't bear to see her grave looking plain. She'd hate it. I know she would."
Damon nudged her with his shoulder, wondering if she would think it was a simple misstep on his part or a deliberate touch. "You can't stay here forever. You know that."
"Of course," Meredith scoffed. "I have a full scholarship to Harvard, remember?" When she received her acceptance letter, it wasn't her parents she wanted to tell first or even Bonnie or Matt, but Damon, strangely enough. She hadn't waited until his next visit, but even though she had told her family and friends almost a week before him, his reaction was the one that meant the most. Her parents had always been proud of her and always would be; her friends never doubted her intelligence. Damon, though, seemed to celebrate every milestone she told him about, no matter how inane. He was over half a millennium old, after all, and probably hadn't cared about things like school grades for centuries-if ever, she reminded herself-but he always absorbed her news with interest. "And then I'll have to think about grad school. . . ."
"And then?" Damon prodded. "You can't come back here. You can't let some sense of obligation to Elena tie you to this place. She would want you to move on. You know that."
Meredith nodded. Matt had already left, since his college was holding early football tryouts. Bonnie was taking a year off to figure out what she wanted to do, but was going to spend some time with cousins in Scotland in the interim. Of her core friends, she was the only one still in town. "I know. I'd come to visit my parents, of course, and Margaret."
"And Elena." Damon stopped and cupped her jaw. "Meredith, trust me on this if nothing else. You cannot live in the past. It doesn't work. It's not good for anyone."
"I know. I'm just not sure about what I want anymore." Meredith's cheeks flushed so hot she was sure Damon's fingertips must be burning, but he didn't move away. "I thought I had everything planned out, and now I'm not so sure."
"Because of Elena?" Damon seemed closer now. If she believed in Bonnie's theories, Meredith would have thought her energy field was merging with Damon's.
"A bit, yes," Meredith admitted, tightening her grip on her iced tea cup. It was sweating in the unseasonably warm weather and her hand was slick too. "But not just because of her."
"What else?" Damon dropped his hand from her jaw and took her cup from her before it could drop to the sidewalk and spill, attracting the season's first wasps. The store they had stopped beside had a wide window sill and he set Meredith's cup and his own on it, holding her gaze all the while.
"Not what." There was a lump in Meredith's throat that made it hard to speak. Right after Elena died, most of Meredith's emotions were too raw, too volatile. She had hoped they would even out over time. Months had passed, though, and she was still feeling things so strongly it hurt at times-and one of those things was a growing affection for Damon. She tried explaining it away as kinship, or bonding in their grief, but now she knew there was more to it. She just couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Who then?" Damon's gaze shone like polished obsidian, and his voice was a bit strangled too. Someone pushing a stroller walked past and he deftly moved Meredith out of the way without breaking eye contact.
"You." It came out like a resigned sigh, a secret gone stale, and Meredith wished she could take it back. "Don't worry, though," she blurted, desperate to cover her tracks. "It's just me, and-"
Damon pulled her against him, but a few moments passed before the kiss began, as if he were giving her plenty of time to back out. When she didn't, he leaned in and teased her lips with his before conjuring the kiss, a meeting of pent-up emotions and confused thoughts and spring-stoked hormones. Rising on tip-toe, Meredith wrapped an arm around his neck and leaned into the kiss fully, her other hand sliding into his hair.
Meredith gasped when Damon tightened his arm around her waist, and she took a moment to catch her breath. "So. Not just me?" she hazarded.
Damon smiled against her cheek. "Not just you."
#
Summer's heat was trying to make up for the amplified winter, and Meredith hated it. The air conditioning in her parents' house was never quite enough to do more than keep the rooms at a bearable heat, and anytime she went outside felt like sinking into the fiery pits of hell. The humidity forced her to keep her hair in buns or high ponytails most the time because she couldn't bear to have it against her neck; there had been more than a few days where she contemplated going to the salon and getting all her hair chopped off, and her mother had placed some preventative calls so the stylists wouldn't give her anything more than a trim. To combat the heat, Meredith had practically been living in breezy sundresses, but even those clung to her skin. I hope it's cooler in Cambridge, she thought as she got ready to meet up with Damon. She only had a few weeks before she moved to her off-campus residence near Harvard, and most of her things were already packed. Since Matt and Bonnie were both out of town, it wasn't as if she had many distractions.
Damon was a distraction, she supposed, but so much more. She hadn't been quite ready to tell her parents she was dating a vampire, so after that first kiss in the spring, they had started spending most of their time together out of Fell's Church. Visits to Elena's grave were becoming less and less regular, but Meredith didn't think Elena minded. The last time she was there, she asked if Elena was okay with her dating Damon. A passing breeze showered Meredith with tiny lilac petals, which she took as a yes.
Since Meredith's parents were out of town, Damon was free to pick her up at her house and she waited for him out front, her overnight bag at her feet. They had started going to concerts and museums together-in between the make-out sessions that left her dizzy and craving things she had only read about in her aunt's steamier romance novels-and Meredith loved the events as much as she did spending time with Damon. The more time she spent out of Fell's Church, the lighter she felt; every time Damon arrived-like now, sliding to a stop in front of the Sulez house-her whole body felt like it was smiling. "Hey." She tossed her bag into the back and buckled in before Damon sped back into traffic. She leaned over the console and kissed his cheek. "I missed you. What's on for this weekend?"
"A surprise." Damon said that almost every time, but Meredith rarely tired of it. He knew her tastes well enough that he always picked something she enjoyed, and it was really more about spending the time together. Once her classes started, so much of her freedom would be gone.
"Not a fancy one, I hope. I didn't pack any fancy clothes," she said, casting a wary look at her duffel bag in the back.
"Why did you bother packing clothes?" Damon teased. That was all it was, though: teasing, agonizing and delicious and completely at the pace Meredith found comfortable. Damon had been quite clear about his feelings about sex-as soon as possible, as much as possible, and did he mention often?-but had never once pressured her. In their weeks of dating, they had definitely explored and experimented, but sex was one of the few things they hadn't done. "There's a film festival up north," he added, "air conditioned, before you ask, and their weather isn't as hellish."
"Thank god." Meredith cranked the air conditioning as far as it would go and sprawled in the passenger seat, trying not to stick to herself. "I've been tempted to transfer to a university in Russia just to get away from this heat."
"I don't think you need quite so drastic a move." Damon continued on, explaining a bit about the film festival while he drove. It took just over an hour to get there, and after they picked up their tickets-showings didn't start until the next afternoon-he headed towards their hotel. "There are some walking trails around here," he added, "but I thought you might want to settle in first."
"Which is your polite way of saying take a shower to get a layer of sweat off before generating another," Meredith laughed, leaning across to bite his earlobe as he parked.
"I said nothing of the kind." Damon grabbed both bags and led Meredith inside. The proprietor was Italian and Meredith listened to the exchange with earnest, noting differences between the old Italian the Salvatores spoke with each other and this more modern version. It was so easy to see languages as static things when in actuality they changed dramatically over the years. "I got us the best suite, of course. Penthouse with an expansive view of the river."
"Thank you." Meredith nestled close once they got in the elevator. Damon's vampire nature regrettably didn't mean his skin was excessively cold, but he was still cooler than she was. Sliding a hand up his bare forearm, Meredith sighed. "I wish I felt that cool."
"It's supposed to rain overnight here, so that should help a bit." When the elevator dinged at their floor, Damon tugged Meredith into the hallway. "And I had them start the air conditioning in the room when we left Fell's Church, so the room should be cooled off."
"Mm. You're the best." Meredith pulled him into a deep kiss as he tried to unlock the door, sending them both tumbling inside the suite. "This is nice," she murmured, glancing around quickly. The suite was decorated in light blues and greys, making her feel cooler already, and she stepped in front of one of the air conditioning units, basking in the chill while Damon took off his shoes and set their bags on a table. "Ahhhh."
After a moment, Damon tugged her away. "Go shower. It'll feel better."
"Come with me." Meredith teetered a bit as she kicked off her sandals. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but there it was, dangling between them. She didn't feel any sense of regret, though, just a curious shiver of anticipation; she had been having dreams of fucking Damon for weeks, but in her waking life, something had always stopped her. Reaching up to the back of her neck, she untied the neck strap that held her sundress in place. The thin fabric fluttered to the floor, stalling a bit over her hips. Then she unhooked her strapless bra and added it to the pile.
This was as much as Damon had seen of her, and his dark eyes were glittering with desire. "Meredith. . . ." He took a few steps closer, but stopped himself just short of touching her.
"I know I don't have to. You know what else I know?" Meredith closed the gap between them and kissed him, pressing close. His erection was almost painfully hard and she rubbed against it, making him growl. "I know I want to. Please."
When she started to push her panties down, though, Damon stopped her. "No. I want to." His hands had touched nearly every inch of her; his fingers had been inside her, once making her come in full view of her house. But seeing all of her at once was going to be one of those moments he wanted to savour.
Meredith let her hands fall away. "Okay." Her breathing started to shudder as Damon's hands slid over her hips, pulling gently on the fabric. "Um. Condoms? I have some in my bag." She had been bringing them along on their excursions for a while now, just in case, unwilling to sacrifice the perfect opportunity due to lack of foresight.
"Not necessary." Damon whispered the answer against her bare hip as he inched her panties down. Once they were past her knees, Meredith lifted one foot and then the other so he could take them off. "But don't forget your shower."
"What?" Meredith's mind was already racing ahead, imagining what it would be like. She had given Damon handjobs before, always wondering what it would feel like to have his cock inside her, to have him over and over again.
Damon started to unbutton his shirt. "You were going to have a shower," he repeated.
"We were." Meredith started kissing him again, eagerly pulling his shirt off. They might not have had sex in the most technical sense, but they had done plenty of other things. As she worked on undoing his belt, she remembered a time when they were stuck in a downpour, the rain coming too fast to make it safe to drive even with Damon's vampire reflexes. He had playfully suggested she give him a lap dance to pass the time and she had obliged; she ended up naked to the waist, grinding hard enough against him that they both came, the windows steaming up around them. "A penthouse like this must have a nice shower."
"Let's see." Damon stepped out of his pants and lifted Meredith up easily, carrying her into the large bathroom. "I think that will fit us both quite nicely."
Meredith turned just enough to see what Damon was talking about. The shower stall was probably larger than her bed at home, complete with a bench at one end, almost a dozen built-in shelves, and a showerhead bigger than her handspan. "It's perfect."
"Not quite yet." Damon carried her inside and set her down before turning on the water, careful not to set it too cool too fast. Then he sank to his knees and lightly nipped her inner thigh. "Now it's perfect."
"Mm. Getting there, but not yet." Meredith leaned back against the shower wall and let the cool water stream over her as Damon kissed his way up her body. He stopped between her legs, using both tongue and fingers to make her come before he continued up; by the time their bodies were even, Meredith was drenched in more ways than one. "Damon, please." For a moment, she worried that he was going to make her spell out what she wanted word for word, but she had felt how hard his cock was; he was as hungry for it as she was.
He eased into her slowly, but she still gasped and squirmed a bit, unaccustomed to the size. "Thank you," Damon murmured against her ear, thrusting gently into her. "I've been wanting this since-"
"Since when?" Meredith wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his shoulders. There was no way she could possibly get as close as she wanted. Normally all the sounds would be distracting her-the splash of water around them, the squeak of her back sliding against the shower wall, the smack of flesh on flesh-but all she could think about was the feel of Damon inside her.
"Since that kiss. The first one. I would have had you against the wall if you'd let me." The muscles in Damon's back tensed. "Shit. I have to-"
"Don't stop. Please. Please don't." Meredith was glad Damon didn't need much convincing. Near the end, he forgot himself, thrusting so hard it almost hurt. Around them the water was starting to warm, but temperature was the furthest thing from her mind. "Please, Damon, please." Each time she said his name seemed to spur him on, so she kept murmuring in his ear, against his shoulders until he climaxed with a jerk that nearly sent both of them to the shower floor.
Damon took a moment to collect himself before lowering Meredith's feet to the floor. Then he kissed her hard, making her moan again. "Thank you," he said again, softer this time, a whisper almost lost to the water.
Meredith went to her knees, licking a straight line up Damon's cock while she looked up at him. "Don't thank me yet," she murmured before taking him in her mouth. The warm water streamed down her face and Damon's hands sank into her hair, and Meredith was starting to think she'd never be able to think of a shower the same way again.
#
Autumn was a criminally underrated season in Meredith's opinion. True, it was frustrating that you usually needed a warm jacket in the morning and then none at all by late afternoon, and all the wasps seemed to go berserk. Beyond that, though, it was amazing. The carpet of fallen leaves looked like dry fire under foot. The weather was usually perfect for a cosy sweater, and you could warm your hands with a hot drink rather than gloves. Fall was so much more than just the gateway to winter.
Maybe it's because most students don't welcome the return to school, Meredith mused. She loved getting back to her studies, firing up her brain and absorbing as much new information as she could. Her first term at Harvard was challenging, but deliciously so. After her classes ended each day, her brain almost hurt from exertion, but it was the pleasant burn of a muscle being exercised. For the most part, the students wanted to be there; regrettably, there were some trust fund babies and status seekers, but most students were like her, bright and eager and wanting to prove themselves.
Another perk of autumn was the cooler weather, which meant that sex with Damon wasn't quite as sticky as it had been in the peak of summer. Since she had a full scholarship, she used some of the education fund her parents had set up for her to rent an off-campus apartment; living with a stranger and having communal showers wasn't something Meredith wanted to endure. The privacy was wonderful, and the distance from school was a blessing in disguise, allowing her brain to have some time and space to settle. It also meant she didn't have to worry about any roommates objecting to Damon's visits. He usually spent the weekends with Meredith, so she made a point of finishing up as much of her schoolwork as possible during the week. Given the choice between Damon and history homework, there was no contest.
That Saturday morning, Meredith woke up first, which was a rare occurrence. Usually Damon liked to tease her awake with gentle touches and well-placed kisses, but he was still dozing, eyes flickering behind their lids. Meredith took advantage of the occasion and eased herself on top of him, bearing most of her weight on her knees. Then she leaned low over him, breasts skimming his chest as she nipped lightly at his neck. An approving growl rumbled low in his gut and Damon slid his hands up Meredith's thighs. "Good morning," she murmured against his neck. "I got up earlier than you for once."
"I had a busy day yesterday," Damon countered, pulling her closer as they kissed. "Travelling, conducting some business, and then I had to go visit my girlfriend. She's very demanding, you know. Takes up most of my weekends."
Meredith sighed as Damon slid a hand up her back. "Demanding girlfriends are the worst. You should probably dump her."
"I can't. The sex is too good." In one smooth move, Damon switched their positions and slid inside her, making Meredith gasp mid-laugh. "And her ass is amazing."
As Damon started to move inside her, Meredith held him as close as possible. "The sex can't be that good." The teasing was a game for them, but a kernel of that worry held more truth than she liked.
"Oh, but it is," Damon insisted. The bed was squeaking a bit beneath them now, and he seemed resolved to make Meredith's moans mask the sound. "She's incredible. You wouldn't believe what she can do with her fingers. And her mouth. And then there's her hips-" On cue, Damon tightened his grip on her hips, thrusting harder. "There's only one downside, really."
Meredith's brain had already sunk into a pleasant pre-orgasm fog, blurring all her senses into one jumble of pleasure. "Oh? What's . . . what's that?" She dug her nails into his sides, but it didn't faze him in the least.
Leaning close, Damon licked the curve of her jaw. "Her bed's too small. Pitfall of a student budget, I suppose." He let one hand fall away from her hip and Meredith tried to bring it back in vain, but he had already slid it under his pillow. "But I suppose that's easy to fix."
"Maybe her room won't fit anything bigger than a double," Meredith panted, trying to watch Damon's questing hand. Affordable off-campus housing was at a premium, and since she had started looking with such short notice, she considered herself fortunate to find an apartment perched over a cafe with an adjoining deli.
"Maybe." Damon brought his other hand back and pressed it to her neck. There was something small and cool between his palm and her skin, equal parts curves and sharp edges. He had grazed her with his fangs before, always stopping short of a full feed, so the sensation wasn't entirely new. Sliding his hand down over one breast, he stopped when it was once again on her hip. "Careful," he cautioned when she arched up to meet him. "Don't want to cut yourself."
Meredith came with a strangled sound, but her body didn't truly sink back into the bed until Damon climaxed as well, sprawling out beside her. His grip on her hips had slackened when he came, and she felt the small object-no longer cool, thanks to her body heat-slip down her side. She rummaged at her side until she found it and held it up for inspection. "A key?" She turned her head to the side to glance at Damon. "I don't think that's going to solve my bed size woes."
Damon tapped her temple. "Think, Meredith. Look."
A second glance at the key didn't provide much more insight than the first look had. It didn't appear to be a car key, but beyond that, she didn't know enough about keys to make any educated guesses. "I give up."
"What a shame. I guess I'll have to break in my new king-sized bed with my other demanding girlfriend, then." Damon fixed his gaze to the ceiling for a moment before grinning and pulling Meredith back on top of him. "You're understandably undone at the moment, so I'll take pity on you." He plucked the key from Meredith's hand and trailed it down her side, leaving a small scratch. "I figured I'm already here three or four days a week," he began, "and this apartment is barely big enough for you. So I bought one of the small houses down the block. It's nothing exceptional, but it does have more room, more privacy-and a master suite capable of fitting a king-sized bed. When I'm off visiting Stefan, you'll have plenty of room to spread out and study. When I'm here. . . ." His wicked grin said the rest. "And real estate goes quickly here; I won't have a problem selling it when you graduate."
"You bought a house." Meredith's voice was hollow with shock. "You bought a house for me."
"For us," Damon corrected, "unless you plan on bringing over that domineering boyfriend of yours when I'm away." He sat up against the headboard and hugged Meredith close, kissing her shoulder. "It doesn't have to mean anything. Like I said, real estate goes quickly here. I'm sure I'll make a profit when I go to sell it."
"For us," Meredith echoed, voice almost a purr. After giving Damon a heady kiss that almost made her lungs protest, she sat back a bit. "When do I get to see it? Is it yours now, or are you waiting on paperwork, or what's going on?" She gave him a playful shove. "How did you keep all that a secret? I didn't suspect a thing!"
Damon just smiled. "I recall saying I had a busy day yesterday. Everything's sorted. We can go whenever you like. There's no rush to bring over your things."
"Now." Meredith slid off him, hopped off the bed, and started looking around for clean clothes to wear. When Damon was over, she rarely bothered getting dressed, and there was little point in wearing underwear on the weekends. As she shimmied into a pair of clean panties, she glanced over and saw Damon still on the bed, watching her. "Well? Come on! You can't go over like that. If your demanding girlfriend can't afford a bedroom with a king-sized bed," she teased, "she certainly can't afford to bail you out of jail for indecent exposure." She slipped on a bra almost as quickly as Damon could take hers off, and then pulled a sweater dress over her head, smoothing it over her hips.
"I'm starting you think you and my girlfriend might get along." Damon finally rose and got dressed as well, handing Meredith the key. "Yours," he said. "I didn't want to get a keychain in case. . . ." He trailed off as he opened the door to her apartment. "Shall we walk or drive?"
Meredith was tempted to take the car. They'd get there faster, which meant more time to enjoy the house. It couldn't be a long walk, though, and she wanted to see how far it was from campus by foot. Besides, she loved walking beside Damon, feeling the muscles in his arm under her fingers, watching the way people watched him. "Let's walk."
"Walk it is." Damon bought them coffees from the cafe to drink on the way, and between sips he told Meredith about the house's amenities and history. "You can have friends over to study if you like, but if I'm here. . . ."
"If you're here," Meredith interjected, kissing his cheek, "they can wait." When Damon stopped in front of a beautiful little blue house, she smiled. It was almost a lapis blue, but the shade no longer gave her pangs of grief; now she associated it more with the rings that kept Damon and Stefan safe. "I love it."
"Wait until you see the inside before you claim undying devotion." Damon watched her as they walked up to the house, Meredith opening the door with barely restrained glee.
It was evident that more than a day's work had gone into the modest house. All the wood floors were polished and spotless, the walls looked freshly painted, and the appliances in the kitchen were all new. "I'm guessing I get dibs on the kitchen," Meredith joked.
"Kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom." Damon gave her the cursory tour she imagined him getting from the real estate agent. "I thought you could use the dining room as a study." Then Damon pointed to the stairs. "I believe there's a certain bed upstairs. . . ."
Under different circumstances, Meredith would have explored the main floor first, absorbing Damon's sense of design and decor. She had other things on her mind, though, and she practically pulled Damon up the stairs, ignoring the second bathroom and smaller bedroom entirely. "Here?"
"Here." Damon opened the half-shut door and motioned Meredith inside. "North facing, to avoid most of the sun, with blackout curtains for safety. The en suite is workable."
Meredith didn't bother looking at the en suite or to see how much room was in the closet. The bed dominating the room drew all her attention. It looked even larger than the one her parents had at home, and she was hardly surprised to see black sheets and a matching comforter. "It's huge. If I was in the center, I probably wouldn't be able to touch any of the edges."
"I imagine you could probably do the splits on it," Damon added, "not that I've envisioned that at all."
"Really? Not at all?" Meredith tugged her sweater dress back over her head, tossed it at Damon, and crawled onto the huge bed. "Let's see. If not, you might have to return the bed."
Damon's gaze heated as he watched Meredith stretch out on the bed. "I don't think they'll take it back after I'm done with you today."