Tangled Fate

Crying Wolf

April 2, 2010

In the velvet silence of the 3:00 AM stillness, Louise felt a feather-light pressure graze her cheek. She jerked awake, her heart hammering against her ribs, but a cool finger pressed firmly against her lips. A pair of crystalline blue eyes shimmered in the dark, dancing with a familiar, wicked mischief.

"What are you doing here?" she breathed, the words barely a vibration in the air.

Damon didn't answer. Instead, he gestured toward the tangle of limbs beside her. It was a miracle of physics that Louise, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline had all managed to pile onto the bed together. He offered a hand, his expression softening into something uncharacteristically tender as he waited for her to take it.

Carefully, Louise disentangled herself from Elena's arm and Bonnie's hair, creeping across the floor until they reached the hallway. The house was silent; Sheriff Forbes was likely dead to the world in the master bedroom.

The moment the door clicked shut, Damon didn't waste time with pleasantries. He spun her around, pinning her against the wall as his mouth crashed onto hers. The kiss was desperate and possessive, tasting of dark intent and a hunger that made Louise's blood catch fire. Her hands scrambled for purchase, clutching the soft fabric of his shirt to pull him closer.

"Damon." she gasped, her head falling back against the drywall as he trailed a path of fire down her throat. "We can't...not here. Caroline's ears are literal radar."

"Then be very, very quiet." he murmured against her skin, his breath hitching as his tongue found the sensitive dip above her collarbone. Louise bit her lip to stifle a traitorous giggle that threatened to bubble up.

"I'm serious!" she hissed, though her hands were busy tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck. "What are you doing? You can't just break into a house full of girls to satisfy a whim."

He pulled back just enough to look her in the eye, his hands bracketing her waist. "I don't do 'whims,' Louise. I do obsessions. And right now, I'm obsessed with the fact that you're in a house full of people when you should be with me."

Louise let out a shaky sigh, trying to regain her equilibrium. "You really do pick your moments. What's actually going on? Is someone dead? Is there another original in the kitchen?"

"Nothing so dramatic." he admitted with a low chuckle, his thumbs tracing slow, hypnotic circles on her hips. "Just...your Aunt Jenna is apparently on a mission to fix your love life and drive me away. She gave me the news woman's number tonight. Andie Star? Something like that."

Louise felt a sharp, unexpected flicker of jealousy. "And? Did you call her? Is she waiting in the car?"

Damon laughed, the sound rich and vibrating against her chest. Louise quickly slapped his arm to quiet him. "No, Louise. I didn't call her. I was actually taking a very long, very warm bath, and all I could think about was how much I wanted you there in the tub with me. Since I couldn't have that, I figured I'd settle for a midnight heist of your attention."

"You're impossible." she whispered, her resolve crumbling under his smouldering gaze. "The most dangerous, arrogant man in Mystic Falls, and you're acting like a lovesick teenager."

"I'm a vampire, Lou. We don't do 'halfway,'" he countered, leaning in until their noses brushed. "Tell me you didn't miss me."

"I was busy having a normal night," she lied poorly.

"Liar." he purred. "I can smell the lie. It smells like—"

"Damon." she cut him off.

"Louise." he replied mockingly.