By Kivire, for Rhiannon.
One: The Night Visitor
He stood in the shadows, looking down at her smooth face. He could become a nightmare to her. He could torment her, terrify her, and keep her looking in fear at every shadow...
"You don't scare me." It was as if she read his mind. Her voice was calm and sure. Was it an act? He moved closer, trying to appear intimidating.
"Because you are pure and good? Because you chose the right side? You should fear me." Her unwavering stare kept him off balance. But only for a moment.
"Why do you work against Stefan? Against us?" Her eyes never left his face.
"Us?" His voice was harsh. She thought herself part of a team? She was just a mortal. She was just a fragile shell that could easily be broken. He sneered, showing his teeth, and she looked away. It was just a blink, but he was gone when she looked back. The air hadn't even been disturbed. She shifted and closed her eyes, then returned to a deep and dreamless sleep.
The next night he returned. She moved in her sleep when he entered; it was as if she knew he was there. But no, her eyes did not open. Why was he here? He had thought to separate her from her friends. He wanted to scare her, make her doubt herself, and them. She had become involved in a world that was not her own. Her life had been irrevocably changed. For the worse? He asked himself. She had accepted Stefan. Stefan was a part of... Elena. Just thinking her name evoked feelings he did not want to explore. Elena had been his. After her transformation, she had loved him, not Stefan. She had turned her back on Stefan.
But it hadn't lasted. And now he had chosen to haunt this girl, who was one of Elena's closest friends. Did he come here because of that connection? Did he come here because of something else that he wanted to keep buried? He turned away, leaving as silently as he had entered.
She breathed out deeply, knowing he had gone. Why had he come? Maybe he had plans to transform her. She knew that he wanted to punish Stefan. He wanted Stefan to feel pain, maybe even more keenly than he wanted Elena back. Maybe he wanted Elena to hurt too. For some reason though, she didn't fear him. Even after Bonnie had called him Death, something inside her said he could be redeemed.
"He has done something to me!" The words burst out. In the next second, she knew it wasn't true. He had not cast a spell over her. She had control of her own thoughts. She closed her eyes, and in a blink, slept.
Two: The Confidante
There was a knock at the door. Meredith looked up from her writing. As mundane as homework seemed, she knew that she had to do it. With everything that Meredith had experienced lately, she welcomed the return to normalcy.
She was alone in the house, so she threw down her pencil and headed to the door. Bonnie stood on the other side. She entered, clasping her arms briefly around Meredith.
"Do I look that bad?" Meredith joked. Bonnie laughed at Meredith's expression.
"Maybe I needed a hug, not the other way around." She quipped back.
"Oh well, in that case..." Meredith gestured for Bonnie to follow her into the kitchen.
"You've had a visitor." Bonnie refused Meredith's offer of a beverage. She forced the other girl to look her in the eye. Meredith tried to guard her expression. She should have expected Bonnie to know about his nightly visits.
"Meredith..." Bonnie started, but Meredith shook her head, cutting the other girl off.
"I think you are wrong. He is not evil."
"He tried to take Elena from Stefan. He would hurt us all, just to hurt one of them. Evil is coming. Evil is here. Why can't you see this, Meredith?"
"Because I'm not a psychic!" Meredith snapped. "I'm just an ordinary girl." Bonnie's indrawn breath let Meredith know her shot had scored.
"You're my friend," Bonnie said. "Please don't shut me out." Bonnie stepped closer and gave Meredith another, more tentative, hug.
"I just don't understand it. Why does he come here?"
"I'm sure he has some kind of plan. We should warn Stefan and Elena."
"No," Meredith told herself that she didn't want to intrude on her friend's happiness. "Hey, you can help me finish my English essay," Meredith didn't even try for a subtle change of subject. But, Bonnie only smiled. She followed Meredith back to her room.
Three: The Confrontation
Meredith approached Wickery Bridge with a soft step. She felt grief at the site; it was the place where Elena's life had ended. Well, her mortal life, at least. For some reason despite her sorrow at being back here, Meredith also felt a kind of peace.
"You don't belong here." The gruff voice interrupted Meredith's contemplation. She looked up and saw him appear out of the shadows. Something was different. His face was harsh, not at all as he had appeared during his visits to her bedside. In a blink, he stood so close she could see his features, despite the darkness.
"What are you doing here? What are you doing to me?" She needed answers. She needed to understand. His eyes darkened, but he said not a word.
"Elena chose Stefan! Why can't you be happy for your own brother? Why can't you find your own happiness?" She reached out and shoved him. The flat of her palm connected with his chest. She pushed him, literally and figuratively. But this was his breaking point, and Meredith read the danger in his eyes. She turned, as if to run, but he caught her arm, effortlessly. She found her back pressed to his body, as close as a second skin. His breath tickled her ear, his lips brushing the lobe.
"Why do you care a bout my happiness?" he whispered. He could smell the blood beneath her skin. His lips moved lower. He tasted the skin of her neck with a tiny lick. She shuddered, her heart stuttering.
"Do you seek me out because of Elena? Do you wish to punish her by biting me?" The words were meant to be thoughts. Meredith couldn't believe herself. Surely, he was ready to kill her. Meredith felt the slight prick of his teeth against her skin. But, just when she thought he would strike, he pushed her away. She stumbled, falling to her knees. She stood quickly, and turned. He was still there.
"Damon," Meredith said his name. His lip curled. He was the hunter, and she the prey. Meredith fled.
Four: The Resolve
He had let her go. He had watched her run. The predator in him had yanked the chain, yearning to be released. Consume. Possess. Those were its thoughts. But, he kept it locked away. He knew where she would go. He knew how to find her.
He stayed at the bridge, until the darkest part of the night, way beyond midnight. Why this girl? He asked himself, not for the first time. He was drawn to her, but he knew that some of her appeal was her connection to Stefan and Elena. If he killed Meredith, or even transformed her, would it hurt Elena as much as he imagined?
He looked up, unsurprised to find himself at Meredith's house. He found his way to her room, without disturbing the household, as he had done before. Once upon a time, he had been invited. Not happily welcomed, but let in, which was all the invite he needed.
Meredith lay in her bed. She was curled on her side, fast asleep. She had to know that he would come for her. Yet, here she lay, peacefully.
"Damon," she sighed out his name, deep in slumber. He moved closer. Then, unable to stop himself, he stretched out beside her.
Fin.
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