Faint Secrets- A delena fanfiction

Bleeding Hearts

The oak and maple trees scattered around the plantation are adorned with an array of autumnal colors, as well as the ground below them, and they crunch under Elaina's feet as she hurries past the Willow tree thicket and glistening pond to Damon's cottage. Her robes are soaked with crimson, her breath heavy and unequal, legs shaky. Upon reaching the door, she hears a faint conversation between Damon and an unknown stranger from beyond it, so she stops and rests her head on it, just breathing in the familiar sweet scent of her second home.
The man whispers something barely audible, but Damon responds louder, and Elaina can hear his voice.
"Sir, I apologize for any confusion, but you couldn't have known me in 1832, for I wasn't born." This time the man responds louder.
"I am aware of what I saw. Your name is Damon Salvatore." The silence is thick, and Elaina holds her shaky breath. Damon speaks again, softer this time.
"I am truly sorry, I cannot help you. You can show yourself out?" She hears footsteps headed for the door upon which she rests, and she moves off from it, trying to stay balanced upon her feet.
She moves over to the side of the door as to not be seen by the stranger, and he steps out, going about his day. Elaina steps through the threshold and finds Damon's wide blue eyes on her. He
rushes to her aid. "Damon!" She collapses into his arms, and he helps her over to the bed. "Elaina, what happened? Is this your blood?" From her blurred vision, she thinks she sees what appears to be red spidery veins raining down from his eyes, but then he looks away and when his head turns to look at her again, they are gone. All she can do is nod. A thought then flashes across her hazy mind. "Damon, I-I think I was with child." His angelic face turns a ghastly white, expression and eyes suddenly cold.
"Impossible." She swallows hard, tears threatening to spill from her warm brown eyes. He quickly changes his demeanor, and puts a hand on her thigh gently, his eyes now the ones she has grown to love, his voice deeply soothing. "I apologize. Elaina-" one of his soft hands cup the side of her face, caressing it. "I have been under a lot of pressure recently. I just- I'm sorry," he whispers as the tears Elaina was holding back come forth. He pulls her into him, enveloping her in his comforting warmth. He strokes her smooth locks of curls gently kisses the top of her head. "We will get through this together Elaina." She nods into his chest and begins to drift off to sleep, her breathing now equal. Damon helps her out of her robes and into an undershirt of his that goes down almost to her knees, and she situates herself back into bed while Damon prepares some chamomile tea. All the while her mind is filled with questions. Who is that man and how does he know Damon? Why did he say that her being with child was impossible? Still, when he returns, she stays quiet, gratefully accepting the tea. "Elaina, my love, I think you should get some rest." She nods slightly and hands him the cup on the saucer, placing her head among the soft pillows once more, and drifts into a deeply troubled sleep.
Sarah Elizabeth awakens abruptly to a sharp burning sensation on her chest, and rushes to the mirror, hair and clothes noticeably disheveled. Instinctively, she reaches for the ruby pendant still clasped around her neck, and sees that the burn is in the exact shape of the intricate piece of jewelry. Quickly, she fastens her long golden tresses into a bun in the back of her head, straightens her clothes, and bounds down the winding staircase of the Salvatore Estate and out the grand doors, past the thicket of Willow trees to the small cottage. She knocks upon the door rapidly, and Damon answers. Seeing the panicked look upon her face, he steps outside, with his index finger to his lips and mouths 'Elaina'. She nods and they step to the side of the door, whispering. Silently, she lifts the necklace from her neck, revealing the burn to him. Their eyes
meet with an equal amount of fear. "Did you show this to my brother?" He inquires, and she
shakes her head softly. A tear starts to form in the corner of her left eye and she dabs it away gracefully.
"I apologize Mr. Salvatore, I didn't know what to do." He shakes his head in the darkness.
"Do not be sorry. Why don't you remove the pendant and come inside. Let me help take care of that burn. She nods, and places the necklace into his outstretched hand. He leads her inside quietly, and she situates herself in one of the armchairs before the lit fireplace while Damon fetches some supplies. Her eyes wander to Elaina, asleep on the small bed, but she notices her friends sleep is troubled, not peaceful. Sarah Elizabeth wishes her worries would go away, and suddenly, Elaina's features are placid, and Sarah Elizabeth frowns slightly, but is brought back by Damon coming in from the other room. A thought passes through her mind.
"Damon, why did the necklace give me a burn?" She can tell by the way he keeps his head down and acts like he didn't hear her that he knows something. Then, he gets up and retrieves a candle from the stone mantel, holding it in front of her. She gives him a confused look, but his bright blue eyes link on to hers.
"Just concentrate on this candle." Sarah Elizabeth clears her mind, and the candle wick bursts with a tiny flame. She looks back up to Damon, fear clearly showing in her eyes, and he glances her way, in an unsettling way. Unsettling because she can see he is afraid too. He quickly blows out the candle and places it back on the mantle, then sits beside her. "I believe," he hesitates for a moment. "I believe the necklace burned you because you Sarah Elizabeth, are a witch." Damon's words echo in her ears, ringing persistently. 'You are a witch, you are a witch, you are a witch.' Sarah Elizabeth is too afraid to cry, so she merely nods. He takes her hand in his, not in a romantic way, but in a soothing way, and speaks again. "You will have to stay here tonight, for it is unsafe to go back out. We will find Stefan straightaway tomorrow morning and inform him of the news." He looks to Elaina, still in a deep, tranquil slumber, and back to her hastily.
"Shh, don't worry." He nods and she quietly makes her way over to the bed, sliding in next to her friend. Elaina doesn't budge, and they are both asleep within a few minutes, the difference is, as much as she wills it not to be, her own sleep is filled with inner demons.