moving on - damon salvatore [1]

TWO

                    chapter 2 - every last drop

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"I can't Stefan, I can't!" Elena's breathing is heavy as red veins ripple underneath her eyes. Her skin is pale and pasty, her hands shaking, dark black circles prominent underneath her eyes. Caroline's heart went out to her. Elena looked like an addict going through withdrawal. Except, and this was the cruelest part, she never got addicted.

In a way, it's true. She hardly drank any blood since her transition. She couldn't control her hunger, yet she couldn't keep anything down either. It was like some sick, cruel joke.

Caroline thought Damon was exaggerating at first when he said Elena was starving. But clearly, he wasn't. She stayed up with Stefan for days, trying to research and find some insight to what was going on. If this was normal, if any other vampires have gone through this before. Jeremy and Bonnie were in the library half their days too, searching for something, anything. Caroline had even stooped so low as to ask Klaus. But still. Nothing. That's why Damon left town a couple days ago. He was planning on leaving for good, but decided to stay, at least for a little while, until Elena was okay. She very clearly wasn't, so he went to New York, in search of answers, and hopefully he'd come back with at least one.

"Elena." Caroline said gently as she approached her.
"You can do this. Just trust me, okay? I believe in you, we-" she motioned between herself and Stefan, "believe in you. All you have to do is try."

Elena looked hesitantly to Stefan, who gave his girlfriend a small, reassuring smile, and Caroline nodded, as she took a step towards their unwilling victim. He was a man that went by the name of Carl, a college student that seemed to be only a few years older than them. And a grade A douchebag. He hit on the trio of girls a couple days ago while they were enjoying lunch at the grill. Simultaneously. Needless to say, he had it coming. But just to be safe, and not freak Elena out, he had to be compelled.

"Go on." Caroline gave Elena a supportive smile as she slowly inched closer towards the man.
Carl gulped as Elena walked closer to him, a few thin veins still prominent beneath her eyes, growing with every step.

"Don't kill me, please!" He begged, his voice full of fear. "I'm not going to kill you." Elena glanced over her shoulder to see Stefan and Caroline smile and give her a thumbs up before she took a deep breath and continued.

"This isn't going to hurt." She said, looking into his brown eyes, watching as the pupils dilated. "You are not going to scream or run or move." She looked at him for a moment, a flicker of worry crossing her features. "Unless it gets to be too much. Then just let me know, and-" Elena glanced over to Stefan, a fearsome look in her eyes as he walked beside her, stroking her shoulder. "You won't." He said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "But if you can't stop I'll be here, the entire time. I'll make you stop."

"Stefan." Caroline warned, looking at him disapprovingly. He shouldn't be saying that, this had to be something Elena did on her own, and he knew it. He rubbed his neck and turned to Elena, telling her to start.

As soon as Elena bit through the soft flesh on Carl's neck, a weight felt as if it had been lifted off her chest. She felt relieved, happy. The sweet nectar filling into her mouth as it replenished all her energy. She could feel the warmth enter her body, her skin surely a shade darker than before.

She was surprised that her compulsion had in fact worked. She didn't think she was strong enough for it, but apparently she was. Carl wasn't struggling, wasn't running away. In fact, he kind of seemed to be enjoying it.

"Stop moaning dude." Elena heard Stefan address Carl in a disgusted tone, as Caroline chuckled along. She wanted to laugh with them, but she couldn't. Her head was all fuzzy now, and she was drinking hungrily and more greedily than ever before. She couldn't stop, and she couldn't think of anything else besides the delicious taste of Carl's sickly sweet blood. She didn't want to stop, not until she drained every delicious drop flowing from his veins. Carl's grip on her hand tightened, probably pleading for her to stop, but she didn't. She couldn't. "Plea-" he started to say, but Elena deepened her bite on his neck, crunching on his trachea, cutting off the rest of his words as she drew more blood.