Not About You

Chapter Twenty

Then the witch went and opened her mouth. "You're disgusting. Caroline is literally fighting for her life and you're already moving in on her boyfriend. One Salvatore not enough for you?"

Stefan sighed as he leaned back in his seat and gestured in the direction of the teenagers telling Lucy to go ahead. He'd tried.

"I'm not doing anything with Stefan I wouldn't do in front of Caroline. That I haven't already done in front of her, in fact. But if we're going to compare notes here, I'm not the one that put her in the hospital." Lucy sat on the far side of Stefan not even bothering to look at the girl she was talking to.

"Hey, why are you bringing me into this?" Tyler protested.

She leaned forward to look at him. "Oh, I'm not talking about you, Tyler. None of this is your fault."

All three of the teenagers looked confused so Lucy expounded. "Why did you crash?"

He glanced at Matt before answering. "There was a high-pitched sound. The pain was excruciating. I tried to keep control but I just couldn't."

"Anyone else you want to add to your tally tonight, Bennett?" She went back to her original position. Stefan squeezed her hand in support.

"What is she talking about, Bonnie?" Matt asked after a long stretch of quiet.

"I don't know," the witch denied in a quiet voice. This time it was Lucy's turn to scoff.

***

The teenagers had long since left by the time Damon found his girl laying on his brother's shoulder, her eyes closed.

"She asleep?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"No," she answered before sitting up and giving him a sleepy smile. "We know anything yet?"

Damon sighed. "I just left Liz. It doesn't look good. They've done what they can but they aren't sure she'll wake up."

Stefan groaned as he leaned back and ran a hand down his face.

The elder brother glanced around to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. "There's an easy way to fix this."

"Yeah," Stefan agreed. "I don't think we have much of a choice."

"It should be Damon," Lucy contributed.

Stefan frowned. "Why?"

"Because he's not a vegetarian."

"She has a point, baby brother."

"Yeah, yeah." Stefan waved him away before pinching the bridge of his nose.

Damon was gone and back in less than five minutes. His gaze was troubled when he returned.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked.

"Not here," he told them and led them outside.

"Is Caroline okay?" Stefan asked, worry heavy in his tone.

"Blondie's fine. She was in bad shape though. It's going to take a couple of days for the blood to be out of her system." Damon took a deep breath. "I came across Jenna and Elena. Apparently, John Gilbert had all the fingers on one hand cut off. He just got out of surgery."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," Lucy said. "And we care because?"

He waved a hand in dismissal. "We don't. However, they were bickering because Jenna says she had a conversation with Elena that Elena swears never happened."

Stefan's brows lifted. "Katherine?"

Damon ran a hand through his hair. "That's what I'm thinking."

The silence stretched until Lucy spoke up. "Well, there's not a whole lot we can do about it until we know what she's up to and I'm exhausted. Can we go home?"

He gave her a soft smile. "Yeah, kitten, we can go home now." He laid an arm across her shoulders and pulled her into his side as he kissed the top of her head.

***

Lucy was barely awake by the time they arrived at the boarding house. Damon sped around and opened her door to help her out. Once he shut the door, he swept her up in his arms to carry her inside. She didn't protest as she looped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest.

"I need a shower. I smell like a fire," she said with a yawn.

He glanced down with an arched brow. "You can hardly stand on your own. How are you going to take a shower?"

"You can help."

His steps stuttered as he entered his room. "Um..."

Lucy chuckled. "I trust you to take care of me, Day."

He smiled and sat her on the counter in the bathroom. His hand cradled the side of her head as he ran his thumb across her cheek. "Alright, baby. Let me take care of you."

He turned the water on in the shower so it could heat up before stepping back in front of her. He grasped the hem of her shirt and lifted, letting his hands trail up her sides unable to resist the temptation. After he tossed her t-shirt into the hamper, he gave her a swift kiss before tapping the end of her nose with one finger.

"Hop down, princess." He steadied her when she did as ordered. He undid her jeans and worked them down her legs. His lips found her stomach on the way back up and he trailed a line of kisses from hip to hip. "Finish stripping."

While Lucy removed her undergarments, Damon undressed before throwing all the clothes into his hamper. He scooped her up and carried her into the shower then set her down on her feet. He scrubbed them both down with his shower gel before washing her hair with extra care as it seemed to be holding most of the smoky odor. After he washed his own while she leaned against his chest humming in contentment, he shut off the water. He kissed the bend of her neck then steered her out onto the bathmat so he could reach the towels.

He dried her first with the fluffiest, softest towel she had ever felt. Her hair took the longest as he tried to take as much moisture from it as possible. She held it around her and padded into the other side of the room. The shower had woken her up just enough she could function to get herself ready for bed. She got into the dresser and threw a pair of pajama pants on the bed for Damon. "Can I sleep in here tonight?" she called.

"You never have to ask," he said as he finished drying his head and stepped into the room where she could see him.

She nodded as she pulled a pair of boy short panties and one of Damon's old t-shirts from the drawer in his dresser. She dropped the towel and dressed quickly. When she turned around Damon was already in the bed with the blankets turned back waiting for her.

She crawled in and he covered them up. She kissed his shoulder before curling into his side, her head on his chest. His arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer. "Goodnight, vampy."

He huffed a laugh. "Goodnight, kitten."