A/N: Okay so this is my first fic that I've written and published on a website like this for other people to publicly read. I'm really nervous about it because I don't think my writing is all that good, but I figured it was worth a shot. By the way, reviews are magical! Before I let you all get to the first chapter I just wanted to give a major thanks to Jenn, one of my amazing best friends (who's also my beta!) who gave me the opportunity to write this fic. Without her, this story would not be here and I wouldn't have the confidence to post my writing.
CHAPTER ONE:
Elena couldn't grasp where she was at first. Every realization came one by one. First, she saw the darkly lit night sky. Then she looked around and saw that she was surrounded by a ring of a fire. Across from her was someone she presumed to be a witch, chanting something in a language too foreign for her to comprehend. Next to the witch was…Klaus. But before she could ask herself why any of this was happening, she heard a raised voice coming from her other side. Her heart fell as she saw the cause of the noise.
Damon.
That's when it all came back to her. She was in Mystic Falls. She had been at the Salvatore boardinghouse when Klaus had come for her. He wouldn't say why but, for some odd reason, she wasn't bothered by that. If it meant keeping her loved ones safe, she would do anything he asked. No one else would get hurt because of her. Of course, both Stefan and Damon had a fit and were prepared to fight the original tooth and nail. But with one snap of Klaus' fingers, Kol and Rebekah appeared. Klaus told them both that they had been assigned to keep Stefan tied down until everything was done and over with. But Damon was a different story. He was stronger and would probably outsmart the originals and find his way out of the house somehow. So he decided that the elder Salvatore brother would come with them and Elena felt a little more at ease with that. Despite whatever was to come, at least she had him by her side.
Her small reverie was interrupted by more yelling and screaming. Her attention went back to Damon. He was in a circle of fire himself and was screaming at everyone to let him out. "Fuck you Klaus, fuck you, your witches and your goddamn hybrids! If you as so much as lay a finger on Elena I will rip this world apart to get to you." She was taken aback as she saw him try to force his way through the fire, burning himself in the process. Was he…was he really hurting himself just to get to her? No he couldn't do that. He wasn't supposed to. She was the one who destined to endure pain in her life, not him. He was supposed to live. Elena needed him to live. "It's okay, Damon. Calm down. You don't have to fight it. It's all going to be okay," she said, holding back her tears.
"Aren't I the one who's supposed to be telling you that?!" He asked, burning himself again as he tried to get out of the circle. She watched Damon struggle, in awe of his need to be by her side and his drive to protect her.
"Oh, I'm absolutely petrified of a 160-something year old vampire. What will I ever do with myself when I know you'll be hot on my trail for revenge?" Klaus snickered.
Before Klaus could finish his sinister smirk, Damon's hand shot directly out of the ring of flames and enclosed around Klaus' neck.
"I will destroy you."
Elena had never seen Damon's eyes go red, veins protruding, fangs adorning his scowl out of sheer anger before. It had always been due to bloodlust or craving or even need, but never anger. His eyes now reminded her just how vicious a creature he was, but there was the slight comfort in her heart that he was her protector, and would guard her no matter what.
Before Damon got a chance to pull any further, the flames had risen higher and hotter than ever. Klaus shook free of Damon's hold, snapping his wrist in the process. A hiss of pain escaped Damon, but his eyes never lost their vampire glint. He rushed against the walls of the flames, desperately trying to get at Klaus before he could do the unthinkable.
To her immediate fear, Klaus got even closer to him, "Now aren't you causing quite the bit of ruckus? All of this just for her? She's nothing special. A good blood bag, yes. But is she really worth the trouble you're going through? No. You shouldn't have wrapped your whole world aroundthis one girl. You'll be better off without her." He leaned his face closer to the flames, "I wonder what will happen when I kill her. When I wrap my hands around her and break that little neck of hers...how will you feel? What will you do then when you see her lifeless body right in front of your very eyes?" Damon's face contorted and she saw a mix of different emotions run across his face – sadness, misery, anger, and then pure and utter hatred. She knew who each of those was directed at and couldn't help but feel a little sad herself. But right as she was going to call out to him and tell him not to do anything stupid again, he spit right in Klaus' face and smirked proudly.
Klaus' jaw set and he kept his temper under wraps, much to Elena's surprise. "Do you think that's funny? Well I have something for you too." He whirled around and spoke into the darkness, "Drag him away. I have no need for a vampire in this ritual. All I need is my doppelganger. Vervain him and keep him quiet. I'm done playing useless games with useless people." Out of shadows came out two bulky looking hybrids, both with no emotion whatsoever on their faces.
The minute she saw the fire around Damon dissipate and hybrids begin to drag him off, she went into hysterics. "Damon!" Her screams only increased and rose to higher octaves when she heard his screams from being drugged with vervain. She started to try to find her way to get to him. She needed to get to him. She needed to be next him. "Don't hurt him. Please don't hurt him," she begged. She could feel the sharp sting of the flames on her skin as she tried to get out, but she didn't care. She had been okay up until they had taken him from her but now that she didn't have him by her side she felt lost and knew there was no hope. Her comfort was gone.
When she could no longer hear him, Elena sank down on her knees and let out the sobs she had been suppressing. From what she had heard, she assumed Klaus was going to kill her. She was surprisingly okay with that, welcoming it with seemingly open arms. But where was Damon now? The thought of death coming for him was too much for her to take. If only she hadn't gone to the boardinghouse that night. If only she had stayed home instead. Then he wouldn't have been involved in any of this. She was so consumed by her sobs that she didn't even notice the fire around her die down until it was completely gone.
Footsteps approached her but she didn't look up. Klaus crouched down in front of her and commanded, "Get up, Elena." She couldn't bring herself to gather the energy to stand up. What was the point? "Playing deaf are we now?" Klaus chuckled before grabbing one of her arms and yanking her up. Her knees would've given out had he not been holding onto her.
As Klaus placed his hands on either side of her neck, Elena did her best to add a hardened edge to her features. Even if he was going to squeeze the life out of her by choking her or snap her neck, the last thing she wanted to do was give him the satisfaction of watching her becoming fearful before his eyes. No, she had to be strong.
"I've drained enough blood from you to last me for years. I can make my army of hybrids without having to worry about your whereabouts. I don't need you anymore," he said with an evil smile. The single tear that slipped out of the corner of her eye was not for her own self. It was for a certain blue eyed man who could be either dead or alive right now. And it was all her fault. "I've had Lilith over there casting a spell to ensure that the Petrova line will end with you. If by any chance any living members of your blood line still exist, she's made sure that they won't ever be able to reproduce. I can't have my mother trying to destroy me through you again. Your blood is the precious key to most things in the supernatural world. But now no one will ever have access to your blood again but me."
"It's time to end the Petrova doppelganger tradition once and for all" were the last words she heard before the world suddenly went black.
Elena woke up with a start, breathing heavily and bathed in her own sweat. It all still felt so real, as if it had happened yesterday. But in reality, five years had passed since the horrible night that led to the death of her human self.
Right when she tried going back to sleep, a ringing sound pierced the air. But interrupting that sound was a groan coming from the opposite side of the bed. "Who the hell is calling you right now…"
"Go back to sleep, princess." She was sure that if she turned around, she would be on the receiving end of a death glare. Katherine didn't take too lightly to comments like that from anyone. But luckily enough for her, she made a few exceptions for Elena.
But did she really want to answer the phone call? If she were completely honest with herself, she didn't. There was only one person who would be calling her right now, especially at this time. It wasn't going to be good news. Elena could feel that in her bones. It was never good news. Her suspicions were confirmed the moment she saw the name that was flashing across the screen. With a deep sigh, she answered it.
"Stefan? What's wrong?"
Not missing a beat he replied, "He's asking for you again."
It was obvious to her who Stefan meant. She knew who he was. He was Damon.
"Where is he?"
"Elena," he pleaded with a hint of desperation in his voice, "You should know...it's really bad this time."
"Stefan, where is he?"
Two hours later, Elena was on a plane to Damon. Everything went by quickly and smoothly, thanks to Katherine's help. She was the one who had compelled the desk clerk to give her a red eye flight back to the United States. Elena never really liked to use her compulsion but when she arrived at the airport, she was fully prepared to do everything in her power to get the next flight out of Italy. The next flight to get her to Damon. But thankfully, she didn't have to do that.
Katherine knew just how important this was to her and she had compelled all the necessary people to get her on the plane as quickly as possible. The only problem that compulsion wouldn't be able to fix was that the flight was over four hours. No matter what method of transportation she chose, there was no way around the long travel hours. She would just have to keep herself occupied somehow.
All she had with her was one small suitcase that was currently lying above her in one of the overhead compartments. That was another reason she had gotten to the airport as soon as she had. She didn't pack much. She had her diary with her but she couldn't even look at it. Most of her entries were unfinished. Every time she tried to sit down and write, she would get distracted. Elena always had a way with written words but lately, she was beginning to lose her touch. But other than that, all she had was a couple outfits to change into if need be. She didn't plan on staying with Damon for long. She hoped she wouldn't have to. It hurt her way too much to see him for more than a short period of time. Every single thing had changed after she left Mystic Falls. And she was so afraid nothing would ever be the same again.
Air poured into her lungs as she woke up. Elena looked to her side and saw Damon sitting next to her, watching her with melancholy eyes. She was back at the boardinghouse. She had never felt a heavier sense a relief flood through her before. The hybrids hadn't killed him. He was alive. She was the only dead one.
She paused for a moment. She wasn't dead. She was alive. In fact, she had never felt more alive. But how? There was no way Klaus had let her live. He was the one who basically told her she needed to die. She distinctly remembered the sound of the bones in her neck cracking as he twisted it. How was this even possible? There was no way she could be alive right now unless…No. It couldn't be. Could it? Tears welled up in her eyes as she stood up from where she was sitting. Her stomach churned at the thought of what she might become. She began wailing about death and curses. "I won't do it! I won't complete the transition! I never wanted to be a vampire and I refuse to ever be one. I'd rather die!" She yelled at no one in particular. She couldn't become a vampire. She was okay with the prospect of her death, but this was something entirely different.
Elena looked forward to find Stefan sitting behind Damon. Her head was filled with every thought she felt she could muster up and then some, but her eyes and heart were blinded with anger. "I can't become a vampire! I won't! I won't become a monster! I hate all vampires! I hate all of them!" Elena knew she was acting like a five-year-old mid temper tantrum, but by now her fear of becoming a blood hunger demon had engulfed her entirely. She wasn't thinking clearly, and her words stung worse than she could've imagined.
Elena could see the look of guilt cross both of the brothers' faces and could feel her resolve falter. She didn't want to cause anyone pain, but she could not face a life of blood lust and death. Her life had already been too consumed with sadness, she felt as if she could bear no more of it. If her life were to end like this, then so be it.
Petrified of the two brothers in front of her, and so full of clouded judgment, Elena never heard the blonde vampire enter the room.
"Elena, you can't hate all vampires," Caroline pleaded.
"I do! I hate all of them! I wish things could just go back to the way they were before I knew about vampires in Mystic Falls."
Caroline's understanding demeanor fell slightly, remembering her emotional state after she began her transition. Her gaze shifted to the brothers now, both of them too dumbstruck with guilt to comprehend what the brunette was wailing about.
"Damon, can I speak with you in the hall for a second?" Caroline let herself out of the room, expecting the eldest brother to follow. He did, gently closing the door behind him.
The blonde vampire's voice came slightly above a whisper, traveling through the halls, "What happened?! How could this have happened Damon!? I thought-"
Her words were cut short by the sound of Damon's fist impaling a wall.
"Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I know this is all my fault? Everything that happened tonight was because of me. I couldn't stop Klaus. I couldn't get away from those two damn hybrids that held me down. It's my blood that's going to make her into the one thing she hates most. I'm the big bad vampire here and I couldn't even get myself out of a stupid fire circle! I know I was there. I didn't try hard enough to save her and now I'm going to have to watch her die a second time and it's all my fucking fault!" Damon shouted. Caroline immediately understood and her eyes mellowed. She wasn't going to place anymore blame on him. She already saw that he blamed himself for everything tonight, and probably every other horrid thing that had happened in Elena's life. She didn't want to do anymore damage.
"Damon…you can't blame yourself for all that. For one thing, it was a witch who put the barrier around you wasn't it? There was no way you'd be able to get out of that. Witches trump all. As for Klaus…I doubt you'd be standing here right now if you took out his hybrids," Caroline said. She was trying her best to soothe his obvious hatred for himself but she could she her words were barely registering with him anymore. Damon moved away from her and walked over to his liquor stash and grabbed a bottle of bourbon, deciding to drink it straight instead of wasting time with trivialities like using a glass.
All the while Stefan moved closer towards Elena, trying to reach out to her. He kept trying to hug and touch her to comfort her but she gave him the cold shoulder. Didn't he know she wanted to be left alone? The last thing she wanted was to be touched by him.
"Elena?" Stefan asked tentatively.
She scowled, "What?"
"You need to drink. You've been passed out for a while and that used up a lot of your waiting period. You don't have that much time before your last transition hour passes. If you don't drink before that's up, you'll die. You can't do that to us." He reached out behind him and revealed to her a blood bag. "Drink this and you'll be fine. We'll teach you how to drink responsibly. You won't even have to drink from humans. You can just do blood bags or animals or whatever you want."
Her eyes instantly focused on the blood in front of her. She could feel her body yearning for it. Just one taste. All she wanted was one little taste and then that was it. Wait. What was she thinking? She couldn't have one taste. One taste and it would all be over for her. She would become the one thing she was dead set against becoming. The look on her face went from bewilderment to anger in just a few seconds and before she even knew what was happening herself, her hand rose and her palm collided with his face so quickly that he had no chance to block her. The sound echoed through the room and a loud slapping noise bounced off the walls as her hand contacted with his cheek. His head snapped to the side from the force of her hit, caught off guard by the sudden act. Stefan remained frozen, shocked at the turn the conversation had taken.
"How could you? Of all people, you should understand how much I don't want to be a monster…and yet here you are forcing me to drink!" Elena hissed before running off, out of the house and into the night.
"What did you do?!" Damon asked, rushing back into the room and over to his brother.
"Oh look who's finally managed to pull himself away from his drink."
Damon slammed the bottle against Stefan's chest and narrowed his eyes, "Don't start with me. I may be drunk but I can still kick your ass. So don't give me lip. It's been a long night and I'm not in the mood to tolerate your bullshit. Now tell what happened so I can get back to what I was doing."
"Are you serious?" Stefan shook his head wildly. "Are you telling me you heard none of what just happened? Elena's not going to transition. I tried convincing her to change her mind but she slapped me and just left."
His demeanor changed then. Elena was just going to let herself die again? He wouldn't let that happen. She would hate him for forcing her to drink, but if that was what he had to do to keep her alive, then so be it. She had already slipped from him once. He wasn't going to let it happen again. He grabbed the blood bag from his brother and stumbled out of his house. Where could she be? The first thing that came to his mind was Wickery Bridge. For one thing, it was the closet place to him. Two, he knew she wouldn't go into the main part of town. That would mean she would have to pass by humans. Humans with veins that would sing for her to drink from them. She would want to be somewhere isolated.
Sure enough, Elena was at the bridge. But there was someone else standing by her side. Was Damon really that drunk that he was seeing things or was that Katherine? What was she doing here? He could barely make out what they were saying but as he got closer, he could tell from their body language that Katherine was telling her something important. It almost looked like she was scolding her doppelganger. He saw Elena nodding as she cried and his heart twisted. That's when he saw the red liquid shining from a bag in Katherine's hands and Elena's face begin to change. She hungrily tore open the bag and drank.
"What are you doing here? And why are you with Elena? How did you get her to drink?" He asked in disbelief.
"Are we going to play twenty questions tonight or are you going to thank me for getting her to choose vampirism?" Katherine smirked.
"You've never done an unselfish thing in your life Katherine, why start now? What good comes to you if she's a vampire!?" He called out angrily as he moved towards Elena. He stared as she devoured the blood, still unable to process that his girl was going to live.
Damon's vision of Elena could never possibly change. She'd always be a sweet, beautiful, gentle girl whose smile could light up a room, but seeing her like this was something else entirely. He was a monster, to himself and to others; but Elena was an angel compared to everyone else. Now Damon watched on as his angel's beautiful smile was adorned with a crimson stain. He felt a guilty tug on his heart as he stared at her, conflicted with an overwhelming sense of love for the woman before him, and hatred for his kind.
Katherine simply shook her head and pulled Elena away from the blood bag, "That's enough. You'll have plenty to drink later. Let's go back." She motioned to Damon, "You too. Not that I need to tell you to come too. As long as I have her you'd probably follow me to the ends of the earth, even if you are drunk."
Finally back at the boardinghouse, Elena, struck with the horrid feeling left behind from what she had done, passed out. She had drunk human blood and enjoyed it. The sense of wretchedness would never leave her. Katherine then stowed her away in the backseat of her Porsche.
"I'm going to take Elena with me. I'm not going to tell any of you where because I know you'll try and find us. I'm going to teach her how to control her blood lust because neither of you are fit to teach her. You're both biased and your love for her will dictate how you teach her. I, on the other hand, don't have that problem," She declared to the room.
Damon whipped his head from side to side rapidly, completely outraged at the idea. "No. You can't take her away from me. I just got her back." He tried to move around her to get to Elena but Katherine was too fast and much more sober. She easily pushed him back onto the ground and left for her car.
"Why aren't you fighting her on this? Help me. I'm your brother," Damon yelled.
"No, Damon. She's right. I don't like it either, but she's right. I don't see any other way to help Elena. If she stays here, we're going to fight over how to teach her. Katherine's lived a lot longer than we have and knows a lot more."
Furiously, Damon rushed out of the boarding house with a tiny black bird perched on his shoulder.
"Oh no, we're not talking that godforsaken bird on this trip."
"If you want Elena to have any grasp on humanity as you teach her, take the fluff ball with you." Merlo squeaked at Katherine from Damon's shoulder fiercely.
"I don't want a stupid bird along for the ride. You're not in the position to be bargaining with me. I can do whatever I want with or without your permission, thank you very much."
"Either you take him or I tear your car apart. You know I can and will do it. You decide," He said pointedly.
"Fine. The bird can come."
"Ma'am? The plane has landed. Everyone else has gotten off. I didn't want to wake you but we have to start cleaning the cabin for the next flight."
"Hm?" Elena asked while yawning. "Sorry, what? We're here already? It felt like we just took off a minute ago. Let me just get my things and I'll leave." She grabbed her suitcase from its place and walked out off the plane into the airport. Another perk of her having used a small suitcase was that she didn't have to wait at baggage claim. She breezed past everyone taking their time to get all their luggage, not wanting to waste any time. But before she could walk out the door to hail a cab, a man in a suit stopped her.
"Are you Miss Gilbert? I have a car waiting for you outside."
"My last name is Gilbert but I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong person. I didn't call beforehand to ask for a driver."
"I know you did not. Miss Pierce called the car service agency and demanded that they have someone sent over here to drive you to your desired destination. She said something about you being in a hurry and needing to get somewhere fast. Here, let me get your bag."
Elena smiled to herself. Katherine was really something else and she was truly grateful for all of her help. She'd have to do something nice for her whenever she got back to Italy. She and Katherine sometimes got on each other's nerves but in the end, they understood each other completely, almost as if they were in sync.
Once and she got inside the car and after handing over the hotel's address, the driver told her it wouldn't take long to get there. Fifteen minutes at the maximum if there wasn't any traffic. This was happening. She was going to see Damon again. She always knew what to expect from him, and this time was no different.
Every year since the night Katherine and whisked her out of Mystic Falls, she got a call from Stefan. Sometimes he called just to inform her on how everyone was doing. But there was always that one call every year she dreaded more than anything. The call that told her Damon had been asking for her. In all her life, Elena had never remembered a time where she could truly deny him anything. She remembered a few moments, kisses and embraces, but never him asking to see her. And if she was being honest with herself, she missed him. Maybe more than she was willing to admit. Damon and Stefan, although now a five year separation behind them, were still her boys. She cared about them. Hearing that Damon was calling Stefan to ask for her, broke her heart. When Damon needed her, she'd always come.
Elena watched the colorful buildings of New York City melt together into the background as the car whizzed past them. It was ironic – just last year, Katherine had brought her to this city to test how she would react in a place where there were always crowds of people surrounding her and now she was back. This time however, she was filled with a lot more anxiety and that only increased when she felt the car come to a halt in front of one of the tallest buildings she'd ever seen in her lifetime. She took her bag from the driver and gave him a big bill, telling him to keep the change.
Once she found an isolated receptionist, she mustered up the courage to use her compulsion. "You're going to give me a key to the penthouse on the top floor. Then you're going to forget you ever saw me and that this ever happened." Satisfaction crept over her features when she saw the woman nod and reached into a draw and pulled out a keycard. "Enjoy your stay here," she said as she handed it over.
Elena did all but snatch it out of her hand and made a beeline for the already opening elevator. She pushed her way inside just as the doors began closing and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. As the elevator continually rose up towards higher floors, people left little by little until she was completely alone inside. The gray doors opened up to reveal a small hall in front of her. At the end of the hall, she saw it. A large door with the words "Penthouse Suite" on it in golden brass letters. This was it. As her fingers tightened around the keycard, she mentally prepared herself for the worst. The booze that would litter the floor, the hordes of women in his bed, maybe even a few blood bags here and there. Elena had seen Damon at his worst and this day was no different was what she told herself as she slid the keycard into the slot in the door.
In reality, she wasn't prepared at all.
