Let Me Take You There
I know a place that we can go to
A place where no one knows you
They won't know who we are
Elena strolled into the boarding house, unzipping her jacket and hanging it behind the door.
"Stefan, Damon?" She called.
"In here."
She followed the sound of Damon's voice to the kitchen and the sight that met her eyes was something she thought she would never see. Damon was cooking; he had a glass of red wine in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other. There was soft music playing in the background.
She took a moment to take in the scene before smiling softly.
"If you're expecting company, I can go." She said.
He glanced up at her, his mouth twitching into a smirk.
"Nope." He said, popping the P.
Elena hid how relieved she was and sidled further into the room.
"So…why?" She asked, gesturing around at the kitchen.
He shrugged.
"Believe it or not I enjoy spending my time like this. Good food, good wine, good music…"
I know a place that we can run to
And do those things we want to
They won't know who we are
Elena smiled softly as she watched him. She had never seen him look so comfortable in his own skin, and that was saying something. It was nice to see him genuinely enjoying something other than scotch and sorority girls. It was like he was in his own world, a Damon Salvatore from a different reality, different city, different lifetime. Maybe if life had been a little less hard on him, this might be the man the whole world got to see. The thought saddened her and Damon looked around as though he could tell what she was thinking.
He moved around the island until he was standing in front of her, he put his hands on her thighs and before she could react he had lifted her so she was sitting on the counter.
Elena felt her heartbeat spike at his proximity but if he noticed, he didn't show it. He walked to the stove and came back holding a spoon out towards her.
"Try it." He murmured.
She hesitated, glancing at him cautiously. He gave her a reassuring nod.
She took the spoon and tasted what was without a doubt the best food she had ever tasted. It tasted like Italy, or what she imagined Italy might taste like…Her eyes flew to his in surprise.
"Oh that is so good! Where did you learn to cook like that?"
He smirked.
"Well when I say I spent 140 years searching for Katherine, it's not quite true. I did have a lot of spare time on my hands!" He explained with a soft chuckle. "I spent a lot of time in Italy, and then about 3 years in Paris…"
Elena's eyes lit up and she gasped in wonder.
"Paris." She breathed.
Let me take you there
I want to take you there
I know a place that we've forgotten
A place we won't get caught in
They won't know who we are
Damon looked up at her and a softness that he reserved only for her crossed his features.
"Oh you like the sound of Paris do you kitten?" He asked, handing her another spoon with something different on it.
She eagerly took it and moaned in delight when it hit her tongue.
"This food is so delicious it should be illegal!" She murmured.
She was well aware that she was inflating his already oversized ego but she didn't care. In fact she wanted to tell him just how just how amazing he was at this and to learn what other secret talents he might have hidden up his sleeves…
She suddenly realized that he was still waiting for an answer and she pushed her thoughts away.
"I've always wanted to go Paris, ever since I was a little girl." She said with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Maybe I'll take you someday." Damon said.
I know a place where we can hide out
Turn our heart's inside out
They won't know who we are
Let me take you there
I want to take you there
Let me take you there
Take you there
Elena's face broke into a childlike grin.
"Really?"
He caught her eyes for a second before turning back to the stove.
Elena knew the answer to her own question even before she'd seen the emotions flit across his eyes a second ago. There was a little voice in her head that was whispering that he would take her anywhere, if she'd let him.
"Tell me about Europe." She asked.
He thought for a minute.
"You would have liked it in the 1930s." He said. "There were no cars, and the women wore beautiful clothes."
She smiled as she listened. He told stories of his various escapades through Europe, he left out the more bloodthirsty ones, sticking to fluffy stories, which Elena was grateful for.
"How long did you spend in Italy?" She asked.
"About 20 years." He replied. "My family come from there so we have a villa. I always loved it…"
He handed her a bowl which looked like it had been used to make some sort of batter. He gave her a teaspoon and winked.
"Enjoy." He instructed.
She raised her eyebrows.
"Is this cookie dough?" She asked. Damon, baking?
He laughed.
"It is so much better than cookies."
She smiled and got to cleaning out the bowl. He was right; it was better than cookies.
I know a place to be together
And stay this young forever
They won't know who we are
Let me take you there
I want to take you there
Damon stirred something on the stove and recounted stories of Paris in the 1930s, Elena listened dreamily, at some point he had handed her a glass of red wine and she was in heaven. Every now and then he would give her a taste of something and she was continually surprised by the enjoyment he got from creating these wonderful dishes. As she listened to him talk she realized just how wrong Stefan was about him. Killing and destroying didn't come naturally to him, it never had. He had a great appreciation for the world and for the beauty it held.
Maybe that was where they were different, Stefan and Damon. Stefan had fought his instincts because he actually enjoyed the killing, he enjoyed being a monster and so he had pushed it away and hidden from it. He was kind and humane but underneath there was a boiling anger and hatred. Damon embraced being a vampire, he accepted it but underneath there was a gentle man who enjoyed the luxuries that life offered. He wore his hatred and pain on the surface; he had been so hurt in the past that his instinct was to push people away. Not let them get close enough to hurt him again.
Elena was the only one who he let see who he really was. It was rare for him to let her in like this and she treasured it.
It was such a beautifully domestic and sweet moment and she had fun for the first time in a while. They laughed and teased and poked fun at each other and her boyfriend didn't cross her mind.
I know a place that we can go to
A place where no one knows you
They won't know who we are
Elena smiled slightly guiltily at Stefan when walked in the room and Damon paused in his story to give his brother a nod. Elena hid how disappointed she was to see him, she knew that Damon's walls would go flying up and his entire demeanor would change.
Stefan didn't smile back. He sighed in irritation and took the glass of wine out of Elena's hand.
"You really shouldn't be drinking Elena." He reproached.
She glared at him but he didn't seem to notice. He walked to the sink and poured the wine down the drain.
"Hey! That's a very expensive wine." Damon protested.
"You shouldn't give her alcohol Damon, she is 17 years old." Stefan said as he passed.
Damon raised an eyebrow and Elena opened her mouth to protest.
"I know how old she is Stefan. What harm is a glass of wine going to do?" Damon spat.
"It's the principle of it. Drinking around you is never a good idea, you always have an ulterior motive, she should know that."
"She is not deaf you know." Elena said coldly.
Stefan glanced at her.
"You have cookie dough on your nose." He said. Elena could he the vague note of disgust in his voice and her heart sank.
Within ten seconds of entering the room Stefan had managed to make her feel humiliated, unworthy and ridiculous.
She had slid off the counter and left the house without a word.
We can get away
To a better place
If you let me take you there
We can go right now
Cos every second counts
Girl just let me take you there
Take you there
The End
I got a request to write a one shots based on my favorite songs so...here ya go :) Enjoy!