TITLE : Starting Over Again
DISCLAIMER : I don't own TVD, unless you count DVD's or my excessive Damon Salvatore poster collection. No, I didn't think so. Also, I don't own any of the recognizable characters. Sadly, the show belongs to L.J. Smith, Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, Caroline Dries, et al.,and CW Network.
AUTHOR'S NOTE : No idea what I'm doing. I was going to write for NaNoWriMo, but someone told me they don't allow smut. Then, I was attacked by plot bunnies after that last episode. Grrr! Argh! On the bright side...[SPOILER ALERT!] Damon's B***! Don't read this yet if you haven't watched the most recent episode and you hate to be spoiled. This fic may or may not be a one-shot. It all depends on readers feedback. Just so we're clear, the ones in italics are FLASHBACKS. There are a shit load of things that Elena needed to be reminded of. Also...self-beta'd, so apologies for any errors.
SUMMARY : Damon is back in the land of the living. How will he deal with the fact that his own best friend compelled his great love to forget she ever loved him? What are the lengths that he would go through to get Bonnie back? Will Elena remember how much she loves Damon?
RATING : a very strong T, because I have a hard time controlling the characters' potty mouths. Adult language and mature content.
CHAPTER ONE – Oh, Take Me Back To The Start
...Tell me you love me,
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are...
~ The Scientist
Damon tossed his head backwards as he knocked back another straight shot of whiskey. He let the familiar and welcomed pain burn from his throat, down to his gut. He laid his head down on the counter of the bar, as he put yet another glass on the very top of his pyramid of shot glasses. He began drinking only a few hours ago, starting off with a bottle of rum. And when that ran out, he moved onto the bottle of gin. And once that ran out, he upgraded to whiskey. 'Upgrade' might be a strong word, considering that the dive bar he was currently at had shitty standards when it came to liquor.
Crossroads...that was the name of the bar. How very appropriate, since he was at a crucial point where whatever he decides next when he gets out of that bar will have long-lasting consequences to the very few people he had left in this life. Should he stay? Should he go? Hell...had he known that heartbreak that awaited him upon his return, he would have more than gladly traded places with the Judgy Witch of the West.
Damon cringed, wondering about Bonnie's fate along with the rogue psycho warlock from hell, Kai. Bonnie made a sacrifice, giving away what have been her only chance to come back home to the people who loved her, and instead, she brought him back to Elena. And it was all for nothing. He scoffed as he recalled what happened after his reunion with his little brother. Together, they went to Whitmore College to spread the good news of his return, where they met with Ric, Caroline and Elena. And it all went to hell from there.
"He's back," Ric had said to Elena.
"He's back? Okay..." Elena replied, as if it meant nothing to her.
"Don't you get it, Elena? Damon's back..." Caroline repeated, confused at Elena's reaction. "You'd think you'd be overjoyed."
"Overjoyed? Why? Because the monster who killed my brother and made our lives a living hell is back from the dead? Why would that make me happy?" Elena retorted.
"You've forgiven him for all of that," Ric reminded her. "You love him."
"So you keep saying," Elena said. "I think you're all lying to me."
"Why would we lie to you?" Caroline asked incredulously.
"How can I love a serial killer, Care? You said it to me a hundred times how he treated you like a chew toy!" Elena snapped back.
"See? This is why you shouldn't have made her forget, Ric!" Stefan blasted Alaric.
"Well...if I recall correctly Stefan, it was YOU who forgot him first. You gave up on him too! So, don't be a hypocrite, putting all the blame on Ric. You yourself don't think too highly of your brother! How can you expect me to want to remember loving him, if all he has ever brought to my life is misery?" Elena asked him. She grabbed her jacket and made her way towards the door. She reluctantly turned back to her friends. "He should have stayed dead. Bonnie should be here. And he should have stayed dead," she hissed softly before opening the door, where she found Liam with a confused look on his face, about to knock at the door.
"Elena-" Liam started to say.
Elena interrupted him with a searing kiss on the lips. "Get me out of here," she ordered him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him with her, as they left the dorm, much to the surprise of Ric, Caroline and Stefan.
"Well..." Caroline scoffed. "I can't say that I saw that one coming."
"You and me both, Blondie," Damon growled softly, as he emerged from the shadows. He was angry, and hurt...mostly angry. "What the hell did you do to her while I was gone?" he hissed at Ric.
"Elena had this crazy idea in her head that the only way she would survive losing you is by having Ric compel her to forget..." it was Stefan who answered.
"So, you made her remember the bad parts?" Pain clutched his heart when he recalled how Elena called him a 'monster' once again. "And nobody had second thoughts about this? Did it even occur to any of you that this might be a bad idea?" Damon asked angrily.
"Oddly enough, I was the only one who made an argument against it," Caroline muttered.
"You're right, Blondie...that is odd!" Damon scoffed. "You mean to tell me that the only person who felt that this was wrong is the woman who hated my guts since she was human?" he hissed at the betrayal.
"Damon...we didn't think there was a chance that you'd come back," Stefan tried to explain. "So, yes...we gave up-"
"YOU gave up," Caroline corrected him. "There were still a couple of us who had hope."
There was an awkward pause for a while, until Alaric spoke up. "Are you alright?" he asked Damon.
"My best friend compelled my beautiful and lovely girlfriend to forget that she ever loved me. I'm great, Ric." Damon replied sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, Damon...let me-" Ric tried to apologize, when he felt Damon's fist connect with his jaw.
"Don't do me any more favors, buddy," Damon sneered at him in disgust. He turned and walked away, but stopped when he was almost at the door. "Where the hell is Enzo?"
And that was how Damon got there. He walked aimlessly where his feet carried him, and he stopped when he reached that dive at the edge of town, where he is currently trying to drink himself to a stupor. He angrily swiped his arm over the counter, sending his pyramid of shot glasses crashing to the floor, smashed into tiny pieces. He was about to take another swig of whiskey, when a hand grabbed the bottle away from him. He turned around and raised his fist aiming to pummel the face of the thieving stranger.
"Whoa...easy there, Tiger," said the woman in front of him, before she took a big gulp from the bottle.
Damon glared at the woman from head to toe. She was petite in size, with green eyes, alabaster skin, long dark hair that was naturally curly, and a cocky smirk on her face that rivaled his own on a good day. "Lady, you must have a death wish-"
"Oh, shut up!" the woman interrupted him. "Believe it or not, I'm here to help you."
"Help me? You don't even know me," Damon pointed out.
"On the contrary, I know all about you, Damon Salvatore," the woman told him. "My name's Eden," she introduced herself.
"Eden? Eden who?" Damon asked.
"Just Eden," she replied mysteriously.
"Well, Eden Just Eden..." Damon retorted. "Since I don't know you from Adam, you can understand if I'm suspicious of you," he said, before grabbing back his whiskey, and proceeded to walk away from her.
"I know a way to get you your precious Bennett witch back," Eden informed him, which made him stop in his tracks.
"You know about Bonnie," Damon asked curiously.
"I know plenty about you and your friends, Damon," Eden replied.
"How?" Damon pressed.
"Not important," Eden answered. "What's important is I can help you get her back."
"I've learned my lesson on making deals with shady people," Damon said, before walking away again.
"Kai sent me!" Eden revealed.
Damon sped towards her in a flash. "If you think that mentioning that name would help your case, you are sadly mistaken!" he growled, his hand squeezing her throat.
"Stop!" Eden ordered him.
Next thing Damon knew, he was on the ground clutching his head in pain from the aneurysm he had just received. "You're a witch!"
Eden helped him up and sat him on the stool. "I'm here to help you, Damon. We share the same goal. I want Kai back as much as you want Bonnie...probably even more."
"And if I refuse?" Damon pressed.
"You don't want to make an enemy out of me," Eden cautioned him.
"Are you threatening me?" Damon challenged her.
"It's a warning," Eden replied. "I'm your only ally right now, Damon," she pointed out.
"And how can I trust you?" Damon retorted.
"You can't," Eden responded with a light shrug of her shoulders. "But if you need a comrade by your side, I can help you with that too."
"What do you mean?" Damon asked confusedly. "Who?"
"Your friend, Enzo," Eden told him. "I can tell you exactly where he is."
"Enzo? You know where he's being held?" Damon asked.
"Yes..." Eden replied. "And if you want to rescue him, you'll do exactly as I say."
"And what would that be?" Damon asked again.
Eden leaned closer and whispered on his ear. "Bite me...NOW!"
Without question, Damon morphed into his vampire face, his fangs ejected from his gums, and buried them on the side of Eden's neck, drinking her blood by the gulp. Next thing he knew, there were sharp stings that pricked him on the back of his neck.
"Vervain..." he muttered weakly, before he lost all his strength, and collapsed on the dingy floor.
Elena's eyes slowly fluttered open, as she weakly struggled her way back to consciousness. She tried to move, but every inch of her body screamed in pain. She racked her brain trying to remember what had happened to her. It dawned on her that she was inside a small cage. She proceeded to try and escape, but the bars burned her hand when she touched it.
"It's laced with vervain," a male voice tried to explain to her. "And even if the bars weren't laced with vervain, that caged is made of reinforced steel. I doubt you can escape from that."
"Wh-who are you?" Elena asked weakly.
"Pardon me. Where are my manners?" the man scoffed mockingly. "Tripp Cooke," he introduced himself."
"Vampire hunter?" Elena inquired.
Tripp shook his head. "Just a concerned citizen," he answered. "Elena Gilbert," he said, his tone dripping with disdain. "Imagine my surprise when I found out that a member of the founding families was a vampire. Your parents would be ashamed of you," he told her, before he turned his head towards the darkness. "Good work, kid."
Elena adjusted her eyes and saw a man emerge from the shadows. "Liam?"
"I'm sorry, Elena," Liam whispered. "No...you know what? I'm not sorry! I finally understand what you said...that there are crazy mysterious things in the world. Things that science can't explain. You're one of them," he muttered in a disgusted tone. "It's not easy...looking at you, Elena. You're just...wrong!"
"Liam...no, please-" Elena pleaded.
"Save it!" Liam hissed at her. "I don't want to listen to any more of your lies! You're a monster! You and your friends..."
"Friends?" Elena asked softly. "NO!" she exclaimed, when her eyes roamed around the room and saw a few more cages. "Caroline!" she called out, but her blonde vampire friend appeared to be unconscious. She saw another body inside another cage. "Enzo?" she whispered. His head was at a weird angle, his neck seemingly snapped.
"There's another one coming," Tripp informed her.
"Wh-what are you planning to do with us?" Elena asked nervously.
"I need a list of names of all your vampire friends," Tripp told her.
"No!" Elena shook her head vigorously. "You can't make me!"
"Cooperate, and I'll make your death quick and painless," Tripp threatened her. "Refuse, and I'll make your death painfully slow."
"No," Elena declined firmly.
Tripp leaned closer to Elena's cage. "Miss Gilbert, you are an abomination. Not just to your family, but to all of mankind."
Elena spat on his face, and was about say a snappy remark, when the door opened, revealing two unknown guys, carrying an unconscious man with them. The first guy opened one of the empty cages, while the other threw the man's body inside, then slamming the door shut and locking it.
Elena stared nervously at the unconscious man...vampire. She knew him. She had worn his shirt numerous times. She even had a leather jacket that matched his. She has his features all memorized like the back of her hand...his body...his face...his smirk. And she was sure that if the man only opened his eyes, she'd be greeted by a pair of orbs bluer than the ocean.
"Damon?" she whispered.
"That's Damon?" Liam asked her.
"Oh, so you know him?" Tripp scoffed at Elena. He reached inside his coat and took out a wooden stake. "Will you miss him when he's gone?"
"No! Please...DON'T!" Elena begged, as she stared at Damon's unconscious form, willing him to wake up and defend himself.
The tears fell from her eyes, and fear coursed through her body...the great fear of losing Damon again. Elena felt a stabbing pain that pierced her undead heart. And just like that, all the memories came rushing back, filling her and overwhelming her. Her body trembled when the memories returned...and it didn't only flood her mind, it also invaded her heart.
"You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, an adventure, and even a little danger."
"I want you to get everything that you're looking for. But right now, I want you to forget that this happened. Can't have people knowing that I'm in town yet. Goodnight, Elena."
"You must be Elena. I'm Damon, Stefan's brother."
"I like you. You know how to laugh. And you make Stefan smile, which is something I haven't seen in a very long time."
"Vampires can't procreate. But we love to try."
"Well, you're not the worst company in the world, Elena. You should give yourself more credit."
"I didn't compel you in Atlanta because we were having fun. I wanted it to be real. I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it."
"You ask, I come. I'm easy like that."
"You're the liar, Elena. There is something going on between the two of us, and you know it. And you're lying to Stefan. And most of all, you're lying to yourself."
"You have every right to hate me, I understand. But you hated me before, and we became friends. It would suck if that was gone forever. So...is it? Have I lost you forever?"
"Well, because what I'm about to say is...probably the most selfish thing I have ever said in my life..."
"...I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it. I love you, Elena. And it is because I love you, that I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this. I don't deserve you. But my brother does. God, I wish you didn't have to forget this...but you do."
"Yes, Elena. I find hilarity in the lengths that I have to go to repeatedly save your life."
"You need to stop doing that. Assuming that I'll play the good guy because it's you who's asking."
"I've got moves you've never seen."
"I will always choose you."
"I can't lose you."
"Please, Elena. Feeding you my blood, I was wrong. And I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I need it."
"I've made a lot of choices that have gotten me here. I deserve this. I deserve to die...It's okay. 'Cause if I'd have chosen differently, I wouldn't have met you. I'm so sorry. I've done so many things to hurt you."
"I know you love Stefan. And it will always be Stefan. But I love you. You should know that."
"You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me."
"I got you something. I know I promised not to buy you anything, so don't worry. I didn't pay for it...Alaric found it in his loft. Thought you'd be happy to have it back."
"...When I drag my brother back from the edge and deliver him back to you, I want you to remember the things that you felt while he was gone..."
"What? A monster? Sorry to disappoint you, Elena, but last time I checked, I was still a vampire!"
"I am NOT Stefan. How about you stop trying to turn me into him?"
"I shouldn't have left. I promise you...I will never leave you again."
"I'll do whatever it is you need me to do, Elena. No one's going to hurt you. Especially not my brother."
"If I'm going to feel guilty about something, I'm gonna feel guilty about this."
"It's right. Just not right now."
"...I'm mad at you because I love you!"
"...When people see good, they expect good. And I don't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations."
"If it was just down to him and me, and you had to make a choice who got the goodbye...who would it be?"
"I would have saved you in a heartbeat, no question…and you would've gotten to grown up and had the life that you wanted, the life you deserved. And I know that I didn't used to get that but I do now and I wanted that for you, Elena and I would have gladly given that to you and let Matt die because I am that selfish. But you knew that already. First night we met is not all you remember."
"For someone who doesn't want to be like me, you sure are good at it."
"I'm about to take a very...high and annoying road, and tell you something. Because I know that you think Stefan's been lying to you. Which, yeah, he has. But this...rough patch that you two have been going through, it's not what you think. Everything that he's been doing, he's been doing for you. To help you. And after he kills me for telling you this, I want you to throw my ashes off of Wickery Bridge, okay? There may be a way out of this for you, Elena. There may be a cure."
"I don't think I've ever seen you more alive."
"You know what would make me happy? To know that this entire time that I've been completely in love with you...that what you actually felt for me...was real."
"I don't want to do this, Elena. I'm not the good guy, remember? I'm the selfish one. I take what I want. I do what I want. I lie to my brother. I fall in love with his girl. I don't do the right thing. But I have to do the right thing by you."
"I wanna throw you back in my head and never let you leave."
"I'm setting you free, Elena. This is what I want. This is what will make me happy."
"I'm going to get this cure for you...and I'm going to have to do things you're not gonna like."
"Fine. Say they're real. Say you've become human and you still love me. Then what? You grow old. You die. I stay a vampire. Face reality, Elena. We don't work."
"...I'm looking out for you, because one day, you will flip that switch back on, and all the bad stuff that you did is gonna come rushing back, and it is going to suck."
"Out of sight, out of mind. Every day that you're like this is the day that you might do the one thing that you can't take back."
"You feel that weight lifting off your chest? That's joy, because your friend isn't dead. That's emotion, Elena. That's humanity."
"I wanted to apologize...Let me finish. I said I wanted to, and then I realized, I'm not sorry...I didn't say you were supposed be okay with it. I just said I'm not sorry. But you know what I really am? Selfish. Because I make bad choices that hurt you. Yes, I would rather have died than be human. I'd rather die right now than spend a handful of years with you only to lose you when I'm too old and sick and miserable and you're still you. I'd rather die right now than spend my last final years remembering how I good I had it and how happy I was because that's who I am, Elena, and I'm not gonna change. And there's no apology in the world that encompasses all the reasons that I'm wrong for you."
"For the record, I am secure enough in our relationship that you having psychic dreams about your ex-boyfriend does not bother me...but it still sucks."
"Wait. No. Stop. Just wait. Any sign of trouble, you let her go, do you understand me? I don't care how bad Silas wants Katherine. She's not worth the hair on your head. You got me? Okay? Kiss me. Go!"
"...No one tells me how I live my life, no one tells me who I love, especially not some vindictive prehistoric witch, and definitely not the universe. And I'm not gonna let someone else's idea of destiny stop me from loving you or being with you or building a future with you, because you are my life."
"Why are you still here? I'm bad, Elena! I am bad for you. So why wouldn't you have run away from me as far as humanly possible?"
"I am choosing not to have to think about how you must feel every time some ghost from my past comes into out life. I'm choosing to relieve you of having to defend me for every awful thing I've ever done."
"STOP DEFENDING ME! I won't change who I am. I can't...But I refuse to change you."
"Elena, the second we are cured of this and don't want to rip each other's heads off, I am going to hunt you down and give you the most mind-blowing night of your life."
"Katherine didn't do this! I did! I thought you broke my heart, so I ripped open Aaron's neck. THAT is how much control you have over me."
"Listen to us! This is toxic! We are in a toxic relationship, Elena! I just killed your friend and you find someone else to blame!"
"...Stop loving me!"
"Here's the thing, Elena. I don't know what to say, or do, or think. All I know is that right now, I want to rip your clothes off right here in the middle of this hall, and throw you into one of these classrooms and kiss every square inch of your body, while a bunch of people that drive minivans listen, wishing they were us."
"Shhh...Travel safe."
"We were doomed from the beginning, Elena. We were always gonna end up here."
"...I'm serious, Elena. I can't see you anymore. I don't want to hear your voice. I don't want to talk to you. I don't even want to look at you. And I sure as hell don't want to be your friend."
"...You wanted to protect me so I wouldn't spiral, because if I spiraled, then it would prove that we shouldn't be together. But I didn't spiral. Despite every nerve in my body wanting to break something or hurt someone or do all the wrong things for all the right reasons, I'm holding it together the best I can...for you."
"I will make it back to you, I promise...I promise you."
It all came back to her...the memory of every word and every feeling. The pain, the fear, the joy, the sorrow, the anger...and most of all, the LOVE. She loved Damon. She still loves him...all of him, both the good and the bad. And with that love came forgiveness and understanding. He was no more a monster than she was a saint. He was the only man she could see herself spending the rest of eternity with. And right now, he needed her.
She was jolted out of her thoughts, when one of Tripp's men came rushing inside the room.
"We have a problem outside!" he announced frantically. Liam and Tripp ran hurriedly out of the room to follow him.
Elena struggled to get herself out of her cage, but her hands were burned by the vervain. Defeatedly, she crumpled down to the ground. "Damon..." she called out to him. "Please, you have to wake up," she pleaded. "I remember, Damon! I remember everything," she whispered. She continued to talk to Damon, when she heard Tripp's voice outside, screaming.
"Burn everything!" Tripp ordered. "Burn it all to the ground!"
Next thing Elena knew, smoke had invaded the room, flames spreading wildly in such a small space.
"No! DAMON!" Elena screamed, as she desperately tried to wake him. "Please...help!" she yelled as loud as she could. Choking on the thick smoke that smelled like burnt vervain, she felt herself weaken. "Damon..." she whispered, struggling to keep her eyes open.
She heard the sound of metal bars opening, and a familiar voice calling her name. She felt strong hands lift her up and carried her body out of the cage. By now, the smoke had become very thick, you can hardly see a thing. She felt herself grow weaker, before losing her battle with consciousness.
Elena didn't know how long she was out, but she opened her eyes in a panic, and her body frantically shot up.
"Damon!" she shouted.
"Easy there," said a friendly voice, as a pair of strong arms tried to hold her still.
"Ric?" Elena asked, wondering if it was just a dream.
"Yeah, it's me," Alaric answered. "Stefan's here too. You're okay...you're okay" he hushed her comfortingly.
"How did you find me?" Elena asked softly.
"I already knew about Tripp Cooke," Stefan confessed. "Matt called Ric, telling him that he saw Liam here talking to Tripp. We figured you were in danger."
As if on cue, Matt appeared right beside her. "Elena, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, Matt," Elena reassured her childhood friend. She turned her attention back to Stefan. "You knew about Tripp?" Elena asked him.\
Stefan nodded his head. "Who do you think handed Enzo over to him?"
"Enzo?" Elena muttered. Her eyes widened at the realization. "Did you get everyone out?" she asked Ric.
"Everyone?" Ric said. "Elena, you were the only one in there."
"No..." she shook her head. "NO! Enzo was there! Caroline was in one of the cages too!" she said in a panic. "And Damon! Damon was in the cage next to me!" Elena struggled to get up, and ran towards the still-burning facility.
"Elena...no!" Ric ran after her, grabbing her by the waist.
"NO! Let me go! Damon's still in there!" Elena told him frantically, kicking and screaming.
"Elena, STOP!" Stefan tried to calm her down. "There was nobody else in there, believe me!"
"And even if there was...it's too late to save them now," Matt added in a consoling voice, his gaze never leaving the house engulfed by the fire. "I doubt that anyone can get out of that...man or vampire."
Caroline slowly opened her eyes when she felt a hand gently tapping her face. Once her sight had adjusted to her surroundings, she tried to focus on remembering what happened. She didn't need enhanced vampire senses to know that the room she was engulfed in flames. Still slightly disoriented, she someone calling her name.
"You okay, Blondie?" the voice asked.
Caroline blinked a few times to shake away the cobwebs in her brain. "Damon?" she asked.
"Yep...in the flesh," Damon answered.
"What happened?" Caroline asked again.
"No time to explain," Damon replied, as he helped her up. "Can you walk?"
Caroline nodded. "I think so..." she said choking on the smell of smoke.
"We need to get out of here," Damon told her.
On their way out, they noticed one of the cages still had a man inside. "Oh, my God! Enzo!" Caroline exclaimed.
With all his strength, Damon pried the bars open, not caring that the vervain burned his skin. He knelt towards his friend's unconscious form, picked him up, and slung his body over his shoulders. He was about to join Caroline, when one of the burning beams fell in front of him, a wall of fire separating them.
"You have to get out of here!" Damon told her, coughing furiously, as he struggled to get a better hold of Enzo.
"Not without you!" Caroline argued, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "I can't face Stefan, and tell him that I just left his brother to die!"
Damon shook his head. "I'll be fine," he told her. "We have a way out!"
Caroline shook her head. "No! I'm not leaving you!"
"Caroline...listen to me! You have to go!" Damon yelled at her, as more burning beams start to collapse around them.
"Damon-" Caroline tried to protest.
"Caroline...RUN!" Damon ordered her.
Caroline finally did as she was told, and ran as fast as her vampire feet could carry her. She didn't look back...she didn't even blink, until she was out of the burning building. She was still choking and struggling to catch her breath once she reached outside. She felt herself still weakening, and anticipated her body to fall to the ground, but she never did. She sighed with relief when she someone caught her before she fell.
"It's alright," Stefan whispered. "I've got you. You're fine," he assured her, as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Caroline!" she heard Matt yell her name, before covering her body with a blanket.
"I'm okay, Matt," Caroline reassured him. She let her eyes roam around, and saw Tripp, Liam and a few other men bound and gagged on the ground. She shivered thinking that thing could have gotten a lot worse.
"Care?" Elena whispered her name.
Caroline eyes looked up to meet hers. "It's alright, Elena. It's over now."
"Wa-was anyone else still inside?" Elena asked nervously.
"Damon was there," Caroline told them. "He was the one who freed me from my cage. He was trying to help Enzo...when the place started to collapse around us," she added, her eyes slamming shut as she recalled what happened.
"Is Damon...?" Stefan didn't have the heart to finish his question.
Caroline shook her head. "No, he said he had a way out," she assured Stefan. "And then he told me to run."
"You just left him there?" Elena asked accusingly.
Caroline didn't like the tone of her voice. "He had a way out! He said so!" she spat.
"Then where is he?" Elena snapped at her.
"I don't know!" Caroline yelled back. "But he got out! They both did! I'm sure of it!"
"Do you even really care?" Elena shouted at her friend, as Ric held her back.
"Do you?" Caroline retorted. She pulled away from Stefan, and stood up straight on her own. "It wasn't too long ago when you didn't give a shit about Damon!"
"Care..." Matt warned her softly.
"NO!" Caroline yelled, fed up of tripping over themselves to protect her friend. She turned to face Elena. "You don't get to accuse me of NOT caring!" she snapped at her.
"I love him, Care..." Elena said in a quivering voice.
"Oh, so you're back to 'loving' him now?" Caroline scoffed. "I'm so sorry, Elena," she said sarcastically. "It's been kinda hard to keep track of your decisions lately," she added, before pushing past her and walking away.
Enzo slowly awoke, sitting up as he stretched out his arms and rolled his neck. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was, and found himself sitting on a park bench.
"What the bloody-" he said, all confused.
"About time you woke up," said a familiar voice from behind him.
"Damon?" Enzo asked, even more confused. "Are you real? Or is this some sort of vampire hell?"
Damon smack him at the back of the head. "That real enough for you?" He sat beside Enzo, chugging on a bottle of whiskey.
"You're back?" Enzo wondered, taking the bottle from Damon, and helping himself with the drink.
"Yep," Damon answered.
"Where's the witch?" Enzo inquired.
"Long story," Damon replied, grabbing the bottle back from Enzo to take another swig.
"I got nothing but time," Enzo told him.
"It's complicated," Damon smirked, before he relayed the story of where he and Bonnie stayed over the past four months. He told Enzo about Kai...and their recent complication, Eden.
"So...you trust this Eden woman?" Enzo asked him once he was finished with the story.
"Not as far as I can throw her," Damon replied, shaking his head. "But she was the one who saved us from getting barbecued...so, I figured we kinda owe her."
"I don't owe her shit," Enzo argued.
"Nope..." Damon said. "But I do owe Bonnie," he added guiltily. "And I do hate owing people."
Enzo nodded. "What's the plan?" he asked. "Do we just take this Eden witch's word at face value?
Damon shook his head. "No...she's working with Kai, which doesn't say much about her character."
"So what do we do?" Enzo pressed.
"I think I can turn her against him," Damon replied.
"Then what do you need me for?" Enzo asked again.
"Just in case I fail...you have my blessing to kill everyone who got in my way, on my behalf," Damon chuckled, before finishing off the remaining whiskey.
"I reckon I like the sound of that," Enzo replied with a smirk.
"I reckon you would," Damon retorted.
"Where do we start?" Enzo asked.
"Portland, Oregon," Damon answered, tilting his head to follow him.
"What's in Portland, Oregon?" Enzo pressed, as he walked behind him.
"Witches," Damon replied, stopping in front of a black 1967 Chevy Impala convertible. "Get in," he told Enzo, before opening the door and getting behind the wheel.
"Nice car," Enzo said, before, hopping on the passenger side of the vehicle. "Not yours," he pointed out.
"Borrowed it from a friend," Damon replied mysteriously, before starting the ignition.
"A friend?" Enzo repeated, no getting a response from Damon. "So...witches in Portland?" he impatiently tapped his fingers on the dashboard.
"Yep..." Damon answered. "Have you heard of the Gemini coven?"
~END OF CHAPTER ONE (?)~
A/N :
*Yep...this is what I do when my brain is too distracted to write updates for my ongoing fics.
*Elena needed to dig deeper and go back to the very beginning to remember how much her feelings for Damon had evolved. And I'm telling you, the best Delena moments/quotes are so hard to compile because there's too damn many of them!
*I don't own the black 1967 Chevy Impala...but I know who does. ;)
*So...on the next chapter...if there is indeed a next chapter...it's life in Portland, Oregon for Denzo!
*Thanks for reading. Be kind...REVIEW!