Warnings: A couple uses of a very minor curse word, brief mention of sex but no actual
instances. Spoilers: The Vampire Diary Books by L.J. Smith Disclaimers: The character of Damon and other Vampire Diary characters referred to (Katherine, Elena, Stefan) are the sole property of L.J. Smith and no harm is intended in using them here. Comments: The characters written here, including Virtue, my own character creation, are NOT high school students but young adults. Submission: Surprises of the Heart Virtue closed the door hard. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she flicked the light switch and headed for the stereo. A moment later the room was full of the sounds of Miles Davis and his trumpet. Sitting down on the cream colored couch, Virtue sighed. She glanced around the room. Black and white framed photographs and a couple of brightly colored tapestries decorated the walls. Surfaces held, among other things, books and small statues of mythical, religious, and just plain interesting figures. A coffee cup on the table before the couch was half full of cold coffee left over from that morning. Deciding she needed some but feeling too lazy to start another pot, Virtue picked up the cold coffee and headed for the microwave in the kitchen behind her. It was sure to taste terrible but at the moment she didn’t care. The kitchen and living room were separated by a counter. Virtue, after turning on the microwave, observed that she had a number of pots and pans she had to wash. Groaning frustration, she shook her head. It wouldn’t be so bad if only she didn’t feel so terrible already. All she wanted to do for the rest of tonight was to attempt to relax, and forget about this latest dating disaster. It had started out decently enough. William had shown up on time, which is more than she could say for most of her dates, had been reasonably attractive and polite. She’d thought that maybe this time Sharon had picked a guy to set her up with who might actually work out. How wrong she was! Virtue took the coffee out of the microwave and headed back to the living room as she admitted that William hadn’t been too bad. It’s just that he was so . . . boring. A business major with no artistic interests who seemed to worship his professors, he seemed to have no opinions of his own. He was able to quote everyone but himself. Virtue figured Sharon had thought him to be “safe.” Virtue shook her head. Sharon didn’t understand. She didn’t want “safe.” Virtue wanted to find someone interesting. Someone who could appreciate good literature and discuss foreign affairs. Someone who realized that jazz music went beyond Kenny G and that art and creativity were things to cherish. Okay. So he didn’t need to have all of her interests. He could hate Billie Holiday and think that comic books were more interesting than Shakespeare, as long as he was informed and confident enough to back up those opinions. That’s all she wanted, a man who was educated and had a mind of his own, who spoke his opinion whether or not people always agreed with him. Was that so hard to find? “It doesn’t matter what the Harvard scholars are saying. History has proved, time and again, that’s a tactic that doesn’t work. No Eric I really don’t give a damn if you agree with me. I’m getting bored. I’ll talk to you later.” Or not, Damon thought as he headed from the bar in the club, walking along the side of the dance floor, admiring the girls in the room. That was the problem, Damon thought, boredom. It’s why he’d left Fells Church to come here. Stefan and Elena were just too predictable. He’d thought at one time that Elena was different, more like him. The girl had certainly proved to have guts, but even that wasn’t enough. She and Stefan belonged together. It’d taken him a little while to understand that, but he thought he did now. And now he was bored again. A tall scantily clad brunette smiled at him and Damon smiled lazily back. Even the women, he thought. This woman would more than likely be just like the one the night before, and the night before that. Wishing for one minute that he could find someone more interesting, who could surprise him once in a while, he shrugged. Maybe he’d just lived too long, seen too much. Hey, he thought to himself. He didn’t need anyone, not really. His mind just went kind of crazy on him sometimes. He headed toward the brunette. Time to stop thinking so much. Voices. Virtue lifted her eyes from her book and waited, listening for a moment. The voices didn’t fade so she set the book down and walked over to the window, which she’d opened earlier, hoping for some breezes to alleviate the heat inside of the apartment. She reached to shut the window, at the same time taking in the sight of the couple outside that was making so much noise. A tall thin brunette in clothing so small it looked like she’d borrowed it from a five year old, and a man in a leather jacket who could fit anyone’s definition of dark and handsome. Even though she couldn’t make out his facial features, Virtue could tell he was extremely attractive. The brunette was laughing as the man said something into her ear. Virtue allowed herself a moment to appreciate the man’s appearance before she closed the window and headed back toward the couch and her book. This is too easy, Damon thought as he followed the brunette (Lisa) into her apartment. Where was the challenge, he wondered as he closed the door behind him. Then Lisa reached for him and Damon decided to concentrate his attention elsewhere. “Hey!” Virtue bent down to retrieve her mail, not bothering to glance at the person who’d bumped into her, causing the envelopes to fall. When they were back in her hands, Virtue finally looked up at the person who hadn’t yet moved. Her eyes widened for a moment. It was the man from last night. Even though she hadn’t seen his face the night before, she’d taken plenty of time to study the rest of him and this was definitely the guy. A blush crept into her cheeks. There was a pause. “Well?” “Well what?” she asked. The man looked at her. His gaze was intense. She glanced at her hands for a moment, slightly unnerved. “Aren’t you going to apologize?” “Apologize?” Virtue finally stood up. “For what?” “I don’t know.” He placed his finger to his temple, as if he were thinking, brought it away. “Maybe for running into me.” “Running into you?” Virtue stared at him. “Yes.” He nodded. “Running into me.” “But you ran into me!” “Excuse me girl, but I never run into anyone, that is, unless it’s intentional.” “So it must have been intentional.” Virtue was getting annoyed. The man studied her for a moment. Then, ignoring her comment altogether said “If you would like to make it up to me, I would be willing to accept dinner tonight.” “Make it up to you!” Virtue was indignant. “I’m not the one who has making up to do. I was just minding my own damn business.” Then she swallowed. Wait a minute. Had he said dinner? Was he asking her out? “Actually I was insinuating that you should ask me out.” Virtue stared. She hadn’t spoken aloud. Had she? “I . . . uh. . .” “It’s not hard.” He told her. “You just open your mouth and say “Damon,” cause that’s my name, “Damon, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”” “Are you Italian?” She asked, suddenly realizing he had an accent. Damon laughed. “Not too good at staying on the subject are we?” “I resent that.” Virtue told him. “Fine. Then why don’t you tell me what we were talking about?” “You were telling me to ask you to have dinner with me tonight.” “Dinner with you? Tonight?” “Yes.” “Sure.” He told her. “I’ll have dinner with you.” He turned then, to head away, how about I show up here around eight?” Virtue was confused. “Wait. But I didn’t. I mean I never. . .” “Do you have plans for eight tonight?” “No.” “Then I’ll be here.” He headed away before she could reply. Virtue shook her head, still trying to put things in order. Had she asked him out, or had he invited himself? One thing was for sure. Dinner was going to be interesting, and she wasn’t sure it was the kind of interesting she wanted. So he had a date already set up for tonight. Damon smiled. And she had actually been able to surprise him for a moment there with her comebacks. Not that he expected it would keep happening. It was kind of hard to surprise someone who’d been around as long as he had. Still, she had been attractive, golden blond hair and deep blue eyes. Her loose jeans and T-shirt hadn’t given him much of a look at her body, but that only made him more determined to see her again. It wasn’t until that moment that Damon realized he’d never asked her name, nor had it occurred to him to search her mind for it. Well, he’d find out that night. In the meantime, he needed to get to his apartment and get some sleep. “Just a minute!” Virtue checked the sauce simmering on the stove, glanced at the salad ingredients sitting on a cutting board on the counter. Then she looked toward the door. She considered for a moment just not letting him in, then shook her head. What the heck? It’s not like this date could be any worse than the others she’d had. Wiping her hands on her apron she headed for the door. Damon shifted his feet, restless. Couldn’t she answer a door? Just then the door opened and Damon saw the woman from that morning. He knew it was her. That was obvious. She’d done something to her hair though so that instead of hanging down limply, the golden tendrils fell to her shoulders in soft waves. And somehow her eyes looked bigger now, brighter. He smiled at her. She didn’t smile back. It was then that he realized he still didn’t know her name. “Thanks for letting me in.” He told her. “Virtue.” Even as he said it he almost choked on the word. Virtue? That was her name? What, he wondered, had he gotten himself into? “How. . . How do you know my name?” She knew she hadn’t told him. He just smiled. “That,” Damon told her. “Is for me to know.” He was working on shrugging off her name. It was just a word after all. He concentrated instead on the room that he was stepping into. Glancing around he noticed the wall décor was subtle. Black and white photographs of various scenes, a few tapestries with interesting patterns and colors. Statues were placed on tables and surfaces around the room. Most of them he recognized as being representations of mythical beings. Others were religious in nature. He walked to a bookshelf near the door. In front of the clearly organized books was a tiny figurine of the Buddha. He picked it up, studied it for a moment. “I know.” Virtue was standing near him. “It’s odd. I kind of collect them.” “Why?” He asked, looking at her, his eyebrows raised. “I don’t know.” She admitted. “I just like them. It’s like I’m drawn to them. It’s difficult to explain but I enjoy having them around. They’re. . .” She paused. “Inspirational, though I doubt that makes any sense to you.” Placing the Buddha back, he glanced at his date and smiled. “Hey, whatever floats your boat.” As expected, she turned from him, obviously not impressed with his reaction. “I’m not quite finished with dinner. You can have a seat on the couch will you wait.” “All right.” Walking over to the sofa Damon sat, relaxing into the cushions. He picked through the pile of books on the table beside the couch. “Wonders of Italy, As the Romans Do, Italian Folktales, Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples.” He turned his head toward the kitchen. “Are you planning a trip?” “Someday.” Virtue continued to chop vegetables and toss them into a salad bowel. “For now, it’s just dreams.” “Why Italy?” He asked, thinking that there were some awfully odd coincidences here. “Because it appeals to me.” She laughed. “It’s like the figurines, hard to explain.” “Right.” He nodded, replacing the books to their spot on the table. “And we’re having spaghetti for dinner.” He’d just recognized the smells coming from behind him. “Yes.” She paused in her work. “How did you know?” “Good sense of smell.” He told her. Virtue nodded though she didn’t seem quite convinced. “Would you mind if I put on some music?” He was bored and the stereo seemed the closest thing to play with. “No.” She told him. “If you can find something you’d like to listen to. I have a pretty eclectic collection.” That she did he noticed as he flipped through the CD cases on top of the player. There were three of them. The first one was complete jazz, though various types and a mix of classic and modern. The second was seasonal, holiday music. The third and the largest seemed to be a grab bag of genres and artists from Mozart to Garth Brooks and Guns N Roses. He also noticed that one happened to be the soundtrack to the television show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” He wondered what her reaction would be to learning that vampires weren’t just fiction and smiled slightly. Damon finally settled on the Guns N Roses and slipped it into the player. Guns N Roses. Virtue tilted her head slightly as she picked up the finished salad and reached into the stove for the garlic bread. Yes. She figured that would be more his style than most of her CD’s. She checked the spaghetti she’d started boiling on the stove and the sauce that had been almost done. It was ready. “The food’s done.” She told Damon, setting it out on the table and discarding her apron. Damon took his time in getting up from the couch and walking into the kitchen. He sniffed at the food. “Smells good.” Damon really didn’t have much of a taste for human food, but to tell her that now, well, he wasn’t quite ready for that yet. Instead, he stepped in front of her as she reached to pull a chair away from the table. He met her eyes. Immediately Virtue paused. Damon smiled smugly. It worked every time. He moved closer. He was only inches away. Another minute and. . . “We should eat. The food will get cold.” Virtue’s voice broke the spell. Damon tried to hide his surprise as he reached for the chair and pulled it out, gestured to the seat. “After you.” Virtue took the seat slowly, fighting not to let Damon notice how much he unnerved her, how much the simple act of looking into his eyes had her captivated. She’d been ready to do just about anything he wanted, and that’s why she’d spoken. Virtue was an independent woman. There was no way she was bending to a mans will, no matter how devastatingly good looking he was. If something was going to happen between them, it was going to be her decision as much as his. She made herself smile as Damon took the seat across from her at the table. “You’re not eating.” Virtue commented a while later. Damon sat in his seat, and the fork was in his hand, but so far he’d not taken a single bite. “Of course I am.” He told her but didn’t make any attempt to do so. “You’re not.” He shook his head. “Nice conversation.” He told her. Virtues shoulders rose with indignation. “If you don’t like my cooking just say so.” “All right.” Damon pushed his plate away, sat back in the seat. “I don’t like your cooking.” “But you didn’t even try it.” “Look,” he told her. “I’m not that big on Italian food.” She shook her head. “But you are Italian.” She paused. “Aren’t you? I mean, the accent and everything. I just assumed. . .” Damon laughed shortly, stood up and walked around to stand next to her chair, reached down and removed her hand from her fork, pulled her up to face him, looked deep into her eyes. “What do you think?” He ran his hand along the side of her neck. Virtue suddenly felt a bit unsteady on her feet. She wouldn’t let him know it though. She forced herself to speak. “I think . . . that you . . . are a bit too forward.” She took a step away from him. Damon gave another laugh. Inside though, he was reeling again. She’d moved away from him? She was denying his advances? This, he thought, was unbelievable. “You really live up to your name don’t you?” He asked. “What do you mean?” She was blushing. He stepped back up, reached toward her, but didn’t touch her. His hand rested an inch away from her skin. “You know what I mean.” Taking a deep breath, she reached for his hand, brought it down to touch her neck. “No.” She told him. “I don’t think I do.” Smiling the same devastating smile he’d been giving all night, he pulled her to him. “Mind if I test that assertion?” She put her hands on his chest. Her voice was full of determination when she responded. “Go ahead.” She knew, even as his mouth came down on hers, that this wasn’t right. She was playing straight into his hands, giving him exactly what he wanted. Then his lips touched hers, and all rational thought flew from her mind. She couldn’t think, and all she could feel was the way his arms held her, the way his body was pressed so close to hers. She made no objections as he deepened the kiss, using his tongue to part her lips. In fact, she accepted his entrance eagerly. Her hands moved along the muscles of his chest, felt through his shirt. Virtue sighed. Nothing had ever taken her over like this. Nothing had ever felt this good. When he lifted his head from hers, she made a sound of objection. A moment passed. Opening her eyes, Virtue looked at Damon. He was standing in front of her, his face above her, a smug, self-satisfied smile on his face. Quickly trying to pull herself together, she pushed him away. To her further annoyance, he didn’t make any objections and moved back willingly. “Stop smiling.” She told him. “Can’t.” He replied. “I’m in too good a mood.” “You’re an arrogant, egotistical bastard.” “Strong words.” He told her. “That kiss must have really gotten to you.” “Don’t flatter yourself.” Her heart was pounding. “It’s just been a long time.” “A long time? It’s been what, about twenty-four hours?” “How would you know?” He leaned back against the counter. “I have my ways. Now let’s see. What was his name? William?” Virtue stared, her mouth coming open slightly. Damon continued. “You didn’t want him to kiss you though, did you? You thought he was too. . .” He paused. “Boring.” Damon’s mouth suddenly closed. He looked startled. Then he shook his head. “But you were cornered at the door, and of course, being the polite person that you are, you went along with it. Afterward you told him you were tired and had to get up early.” Damon looked at her. “You couldn’t come up with anything more original than that?” Virtue didn’t answer. “When you came inside you slammed the door and turned on Miles Davis.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Am I right?” Of course, he knew for a fact that he was. “How do you. . .” “I’m not like anyone that you’ve ever met.” He told her. “Yeah.” That’s for sure, she thought. Damon smiled. “Yes. It is.” He stepped closer, uncrossing his arms. “But before I tell you why that is, there’s just one more thing I’m curious to know.” “What’s that?” She was the one who had her arms crossed now, only she wasn’t relaxed. She was defensive. “Well, last night was the last time you were kissed by a man. I’m just wondering, when was the last time you slept with one?” She was blushing furiously. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, and Damon didn’t even have to search her mind to know why. “You never have.” He said, a note of disbelief in his voice. There was a long pause. Well, he thought, maybe he hadn’t been so far off when he told her she lived up to her name. “So,” he asked. “Aren’t you wondering how it is that I know all of this?” She looked at him. “You’re not . . . um . . . you haven’t been. . .” “Stalking you?” He asked before she could say what she was thinking. “No. I don’t have to. I can read your mind.” “You’re psychic?” “No.” He shook his head. “Give up? All right. I’m a vampire.” “I thought you were being serious.” She told him, looking slightly angry. “I am.” He told her, stepping even closer. “Do you want me to prove it?” “Sure. Why not?” She held up her arms. She was really angry now. “Go ahead. Prove it.” He momentarily considered backing away, leaving her alone to think that he was just another jerk date of hers. Instead he grabbed her shoulders, pulled her up to him. “I will.” He flashed his teeth quickly, just long enough to let her take in the sight of his long canines, before he struck at her neck, sinking his teeth into the soft flesh. “Ouch!” It hurt. It really hurt. Virtue struggled to get away but Damons grip on her was strong, too strong. She finally gave up, gave into the pain. It was then that she heard a voice in her head. “It only hurts because you’re fighting it.” It was Damons voice. She had no idea what was going on, but somehow her unconscious mind seemed to know what to do. It answered Damon. “I’m not fighting. I stopped. It hurts because it hurts.” “Not physically fighting.” Damons voice was instructional, as if he were talking to a child. “Mentally you’re fighting it.” “Why shouldn’t I? You’re . . . You’re biting me!” “Because you asked me to.” He made no apologies as his lips moved at her neck, as he drank her blood. “I did not!” “Yes. You did. You told me to prove that I was a vampire.” “But I wasn’t serious. I didn’t think you really were a . . . a vampire.” Suddenly she stopped, realizing that it didn’t hurt anymore. She hadn’t noticed because she’d been so busy concentrating on fighting with Damon, but the sensation now was actually kind of pleasant. “Yes. It is.” Slowly she let down her mental defenses. He could already read her mind. What was the use in trying to fight him? Damon, for all of his outer toughness, wasn’t quite sure how to deal with her when she wasn’t fighting. He wasn’t used to it. But there she was. It was as if she were allowing him to view her soul, from her favorite season to her childhood dreams. For once he was more interested in the person he was drinking from than in their blood. “Damon?” She asked, and her voice reminded him of a Childs, not of the woman he’d argued with earlier. “What?” “Am I going to die?” It was such a simple question, and Damon had a simple answer. “No.” Quickly he pulled away from her, watched as her eyes opened and lifted to his. She just looked at him for a while, not sure what to say. Finally she did manage to speak. “Why?” “Why what?” He was trying to compose himself, not to let on that for the first time in his life he’d met a woman that unnerved him. He’d known Virtue less time and yet he felt closer to her than he ever had to either Katherine or Elena. It was disconcerting, especially for someone who spent as much time hiding as he did. “Why didn’t you kill me?” “Because I don’t.” He told her. “I don’t kill people.” “Have you ever?” She asked. Damon nodded. “Yes.” “Oh.” She looked toward the table, gave a funny little smile. “We never finished eating.” Then she fainted. When Virtue came to she was lying in her bed. Slowly she sat up. She felt a little dizzy at first but that soon passed. When she was sitting up fully, and the dizziness had gone, she realized that she wasn’t alone. There was someone at the end of the bed, pacing back and forth. It took her a moment to remember. “Damon?” He turned to her, walked to sit beside her on the bed. “Are you okay now?” “What happened?” “How much do you remember?” “I remember we were eating, well, I was eating, and then I remember you kissed me, and then you, well, read my mind, and then I remember you told me you were a. . .” She looked into his eyes. “A vampire.” “Anything else?” “I remember you bit me.” She didn’t look angry with him. For some reason Damon felt relief shoot through him. “And then we were talking.” She continued. “But we weren’t.” Her face was puzzled. “How is that possible?” “Because we weren’t talking.” He told her. “Not physically anyway. It was in your mind.” “In my mind.” She shook her head. “Well, that makes a lot of sense. Anyway, then . . . then. . .” “Then you fainted.” He looked at the bed covers. “That was my fault.” Then he looked into her eyes. He wasn’t a coward. He didn’t back down from things. “I took too much blood.” His voice was straightforward, direct. “Too much blood. What exactly does that mean?” She asked. “It means,” He told her “That you’ll have to take it easy for a while.” She actually gave him a smile. “You better be glad it’s Friday then and I don’t have work tomorrow.” Damon studied her. Once again she’d managed to surprise him, when before that night he’d thought it impossible for someone to truly surprise him. “I guess I better.” “So,” she asked him. “About this vampire thing of yours. How exactly does it work? I mean, what are the rules? I mean. . .” He interrupted her. “I think I know what you mean. Well, basically I’m like you, only better.” He paused. “I mean that I’m stronger than most humans, and I can, as you found out, read minds. I can also turn into a crow. And before you ask, yes I can go out in sunlight, due to this here.” He showed her a ring on his finger. “I have to feed, usually once a day.” He shrugged. “That’s the way it is. But don’t worry. I don’t need to kill anyone.” Virtue’s head was spinning. So much information. And he was so straightforward about it. “Now,” he said, leaning toward her. “What do you say we save the rest of this conversation for later? It’s getting boring right now, and I can think of other things that I’d much rather be doing.” Just before his mouth touched hers Virtue replied. “I think that’s an excellent idea.” Sunlight was streaming in through the window the next morning, illuminating the room. Virtue opened her eyes to it slowly, feeling sleepy and satisfied. She could feel Damons body next to hers and snuggled closer. It felt so nice to wake up in his arms. Of course, they were both fully clothed. To be sure she’d been tempted, but Virtue was an old fashioned girl and didn’t sleep with a man on the first date. Besides, they’d have plenty of time. Now, Damons feelings on the subject might be a little different. Virtue smiled. Actually, she had a feeling they were very different, which made it all the nicer that he’d made no objections. Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his hair. His eyes opened immediately. He reached for her hand, brought it to his lips. “Morning love.” “Good morning.” Her smiled widened. “Did you sleep well?” “Wonderfully.” He told her. “Of course, there’s one thing that could have made it better but. . .” “Don’t push it.” “Wouldn’t dream of it.” A gleam came into his eyes. “Well, maybe dream.” She slapped his arm lightly. “Yeah yeah. Anyone ever tell you you’re impossible?” “Impossible?” He asked. “Really? In what sense?” “Oh shut up and kiss me.” She told him. “Gladly.” “I love you.” She whispered when they parted. He ran his hand down her hair. His eyes were serious. “I love you too.” And Damon knew, without a doubt, that this time it was true. |
Index > And Then (fanfic) > Surprises of the Heart |