You are my Freedom

Oh Hell No

Clara was relaxing in the tub, after Damon had introduced her to this luxury she spoiled herself with a long soak with all the trimmings any chance she got. She figured her first crowded public outing was largely a success, she hadn't revealed her vampire face and no humans got bit so she had earned this treat.

She heard the door open and felt her body relax even more if it was possible now that Damon was home now.

Damon raced into the bathroom where he could smell the expensive bath salts were originating from desperate to see his wife after such a close call today.

Damon POV:

Clara looks up at me her eyes filled with nothing but joy at having me home but slowly I see her take in the state of me and worry etches across her face. She's so beautiful I don't even try to hold myself back I move quickly towards her and climb right into the bath clothes still on and just hold her close to me so relieved I get to have her in my arms again.

She doesn't say anything or demand answers she just cradles me to her breast and strokes my hair. After a couple of moments, she flips us around and starts peeling my soaked clothes off. She keeps searching my face and body for answers but aside from soot, there's not much evidence of what happened. She seems to get it was serious whatever it was without me having to say anything. She strokes the side of my face and looks deep into my eyes trying to communicate something but I'm not able to get it.

She zooms out of the tub and bathroom and I am left feeling empty without her. She's back very quickly thanks to our convenient vamp speed and she has blood bags with her. I smile at the thoughtfulness of my girl but then she does something I didn't expect she tears open the bags and drains them fast... I am not sure what she's doing until she gets back in the bath with me and takes me in her arms again this time she is to my side, she tilts her head on my shoulder exposing her long beautiful neck and now I understand what she was trying to communicate. I am blown away by the gesture, we've bit and tasted each other before usually during some extracurricular activities but this is different. She pounded those bags and is clearly allowing me to have a full meal from her. Its giving and selfless and something no one but her would think to do. It allows me to take even more comfort from her than I thought possible and god does it make me fall in love with her all over again.

Clara POV:

I don't know what happened but Damon looked haunted when he came home, he practically collapsed on top of me like he had returned from battle. The idea that Damon had faced some trouble tonight and I hadn't been there saddened me tremendously. After holding him to me I could smell the smoke in his hair, I turned us around and examined his clothes... there was more evidence of a fire and the magnitude of what might have happened tonight, that I might have lost him hits me like a tidal wave. Damon once said I would cut him open and climb inside him if he'd let me and right now that's what I want to give to him. I want him to feel more safe and protected with me than he's ever felt before. I race downstairs and retrieve 4 bloodbags, I don't know what kind of damage he sustained but I hope it will be enough.

Back upstairs I see my naked and exhausted husband looking so pained, was it because of my absence? I did try to be as quick as possible but I hate that I've caused him pain. I quickly down the blood and make myself available to him. He quickly catches on and soon his teeth pierce my neck deeper than they ever have before. It's painful, but it's pain I welcome because it means he's here with me now... that all this is real and I haven't lost him. Thank God, thank god he's still here, I wouldn't want to live without him.

I am growing weaker now but I don't care, I'd let him drain me completely, I'd give everything for him.

Damon POV:

I know I should stop, I've taken too much but I don't want to ever be out of this moment. All my life from Lilly to Guiseppi to Stefan to the army... no one has ever taken care of me the way Clara does. And every time she finds a new way to astound me with her care of me I want to soak it all up, I won't ever have enough of her... it isn't possible.

I finally release her and pull back. She looks so vulnerable like this. I would do anything for her, if she had been in that fire tonight... I don't want to imagine it but I think I would have killed every single person in this town to avenge her, including Elena... I wouldn't even blink. I love her so damn much, more than should be possible for one being to love another.

I bite into my wrist and bring it up to her mouth, I help her latch on and then I flip our positions so she is on top of me her back to my chest. I wrap my other arm around her waist and hold her as tight as possible without hurting her. Its like I have my own heart in my hands right now, I should feel weak and vulnerable but I feel wild and free.

Stefan POV:

I see Elena standing by herself and go over to her with an update.

"The fire is out. The story is the building's old wiring is what caused it."

"Did you see where Damon went?" she asks

"Probably home to Clara."

"Right, of course." She suddenly wraps her arms around me, "I'm so glad you're okay."

I am able to exhale and relax at that, today was intense and it feels nice to be right where I want to be at last.

"I try so hard...to hate him. I guess it's just pointless. Truth is, I think I forgave him a long time ago."

Elena smiles "It's okay, he's your brother, hopefully, mine will forgive me someday too but I know he loves me without having to find forgiveness that's the beauty of siblings."

I rest my forehead on hers and breath her in

"Jenna called, Jeremy's home, I'm just gonna run over to the school to pick up my dress, my clothes, and the rest of my stuff and then I'll check on him."

I let her go and run into Bonnie on my way home, 

"Oh, hey."

"Hey."

It's awkward for a bit but I know I need to thank her for her help today.

"I'm very grateful Bonnie, I hope you know that."

Bonnie nods, "I do...but I hope you know that I didn't do it for you or Damon, Elena is my best friend and because she loves you, I couldn't let you die."

"I still appreciate it, and I hope you know how much I love Elena as well." She nods but still has her arms crossed over her chest looking defensive.

"I know you do, and I believe you are good especially for a vampire, and I know we both want to protect the people we care about. The difference is, for you, Damon is one of them. You saw what I was able to do tonight. I know who I am now, and if Damon spills so much as one drop of innocent blood, I'll take him down. Even if I have to take you with him."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." I tell her

"Let's hope it doesn't."

I finally get home to the boarding house and I can hear Damon and Clara going at it, ugh maybe I'll just go out for a walk or something. I feel my phone vibrate and I see it's Elena. She is frantic something about John and Jeremy I race over to her house praying for this hell of a day to finally just end. Elena tell the EMT to let me in and fills me in on what has happened. I have to reassure her Jeremy isn't turning into a vampire, that Anna's blood it just healing the effects the pills would have had so he's not dying with her blood in his system. I tell Elena to go to the hospital and I'll watch over Jeremy for her.

She called me back not long after arriving at the hospital apparently Caroline had been gravely injured in a car accident and Jenna was acting weird saying she had been home earlier when I know she was still at the grill with me. Suddenly a terrifying thought occurs to me and I know its time to interrupt Damon and Clara's lovers party.

Damon POV:

Fuck, yes! So good, almost...

God, that was fantastic. Whew...

"times up."

"uh?" I ask not completely coherent yet.

 "no more avoiding, it's time to tell me what happened tonight." She tells me.

"ugh, do I have to?"

"yes."

"turns out Miss Bonnie Bennett never deactivated the Gilbert device. All the vampires went down and were injected with vervain and brought to the basement of the old Gilbert building. John killed Anna, she never stood a chance, and mayor Lockwood was down there too. If Stefan hadn't gone in to save me I wouldn't have made it."

I look over to Clara expecting to see fear in her stormy eyes but she surprises me again her vampire face on full she is nothing but livid, damn that gets me hot for her all over again. I'm about to do something about it before Stefan bursts in, I quickly cover Clara.

"what the hell, Stefan?!"

"you both need to come with me Caroline and John are both in the hospital."

I roll my eyes, "great 2 people we don't care about we can continue with our own plans for the evening, now leave!"

"Jeremy also tried to kill himself tonight. Elena really needs us. NOW."

I look to Clara and she has suppressed her vampire self and looks nothing but concerned now, ugh guess we're getting involved in more mystic falls drama.

Clara is getting dressed and I'm downstairs fixing myself a drink when Stefan comes up to me.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of Clara, but we might have a much more pressing problem."

"relax," I tell my brother, "I'm sure whatever's got your knickers in a twist can't be that bad."

"Elena told me Jenna swears she was home earlier when John was attacked."

 "and.."

Stefan sighs before continuing, "and I know she wasn't, she was at the grill with me."

"failing to see what's so dire about this"

"who else do we know that could be mistaken for Elena that would attack John?"

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Oh holy f**k no!