"The ties that bind us are sometimes impossible to explain.
They connect us, even after it seems like the ties should be broken. Some bonds defy distance, and time, and logic. Because some ties are simply… meant to be."
― M.G.
Chapter 1
Elena awoke with a gasp, bolting upright in the darkened parlor of the boarding house, her eyes blurring as they adjusted to the dim light cast from the glowing embers in the hearth.
There was a movement beside her, a familiar voice speaking as he gently took her hand. "Hey."
She groaned in response, rubbing her temple to quell the throbbing in her head as he helped her shift to lean against the arm of the sofa, "What happened?"
"You were attacked." Stefan replied, his thumb brushing against the back of her hand in a gesture intended to soothe, but only served to make her shudder.
"I don't remember," She extricated her hand and pulled her hair from her face, "Where was I?"
"The Grill," He prompted, forehead creased deeply in a concerned expression that up until a week ago might have turned her to mush, but not this time. "Damon said you might not-"
"Damon," She gaped, eyes widening as a memory surfaced, panic making her stomach churn as she turned to search the darkness for the striking cobalt gaze that consumed her thoughts, the last thing she could recall before darkness had taken over, "Where is he? Where's-"
"He is here." A voice quipped in amusement and Elena released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding at the sight of him as he sauntered over to the bar. "And if I'm not mistaken- the Scooby Gang are too."
He glanced up from the decanter in his hand with a quirked brow, seeing her now for the first time since she'd regained consciousness and she nearly gasped at the barely contained rage she found staring back as he ran a cursory glance over her, his cerulean orbs turned almost black.
She raised a brow in silent inquiry and his eyes shifted toward the front door in response.
"In three, two, one," He lifted the glass to his lips and tossed it back, "Cue Barbie-"
"Elena!" The front door slammed open and the blonde flashed to her side, worry creasing her forehead reminiscent of the younger Salvatore's patented expressions.
"Oh my god!" Caroline pulled her friend into a fierce hug, "I'm so glad you're okay!"
Stefan chuckled as Elena tried to extract herself from the vice-like grip the vampire had caught her in. "Care, human remember-"
"Oh," She released her immediately with an apologetic chuckle, "Sorry I got carried away."
"It's fine," She smiled in response, her face now returning to its usual pallor, "I'm fine, really."
Damon snorted his disagreement but another flurry of movement signaled Jeremy and Bonnie's arrival so she let it go for the moment and he turned away to toss a few logs on the fire, the flames licking hungrily at the timber as they rose higher.
"I'm glad you're okay Sis." Jeremy pulled her into an awkward hug before flopping to the floor by her feet.
"Thanks Jer." She smiled down at him.
Bonnie took her hand, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." She offered a reassuring squeeze in response, ignoring the pointed look from the blue eyed vampire on the other side of the room as he'd returned to his decanter and began stirring Caroline.
"So where's my I'm-so- super-glad-you-didn't-die hug huh?" Damon pouted theatrically, "And here I thought we were besties-"
"Bite me." Caroline rolled her eyes, hip cocked as she glared at her Sire.
"No thanks," He quipped, "Been there, bought the T-shirt."
"You're disgusting." She scoffed, flopping down on the sofa beside Elena and crossing her arms indignantly.
"I know." He smirked in response and Elena snorted in amusement despite her now throbbing headache.
"So what happened?" Bonnie turned her attention back on Elena, choosing to ignore the bickering pair of vampires.
"I'm not sure," It was a lie of course, at least partly.
She ducked her head as she toyed with the hem of her shirt still disturbingly soaked in her own blood and opted for trying to recall the events that had led to their current drama rather than relive her earlier idiocy.
"I'd just said goodbye to Matt and I was just about to get in the car but there was this woman in the ally, I thought she was hurt but-"
Her eyes shot to Damon and a cold chill ran up her spine, her back throbbing like a thousand tiny needles were piercing it all at once, "She hurt you."
"What?" Damon's eyes flashed briefly in surprise.
"She hurt you," Her brow furrowed, "You need blood."
When he remained at the bar she narrowed her eyes, fear driving her scolding, "Damon!"
"Geez, alright already." He rolled his eyes, but made no further comment as he strode off into the darkened hall to the kitchen.
"Freak," Jeremy teased, "What? Were your Damon senses tingling or something?"
"Shut up." She snorted, kicking his shin lightly with her foot as he stood to raid the elder brother's liquor supply in his absence, "I do not have urgh, he just felt- off I guess?"
The smile slipped from her lips as she felt Stefan's hand around her own, her skin protesting the contact to the point of pain which she tried to ignore.
"You said there was a woman?" Stefan prompted, gaining the attention of the younger Gilbert as he looked up from the bottle in his hand and watched his sister fidget, every now and then glancing nervously toward the kitchen.
He knew they'd become close and had no doubt in his mind that when it came to his sister's safety, Damon would never be questioned over his ability to keep her alive and indeed to some point exceeded his brother's ability to make the girl smile even if only briefly.
He made a mental note to get her alone later and question her over it as he poured himself a glass of bourbon and filled a second, offering it out to her as a means to extricate herself from Stefan's grasp as he returned to sit by her feet.
"Thanks." She took a sip as she flashed him a grateful smile.
"So this woman," Bonnie made herself comfortable on the coffee table, "A witch?"
"They wanted my blood," She breathed with an affirmative nod, "And they were willing to use any means necessary to get it."
"What happened to them?" Caroline hissed, furious they'd dared attack her.
Her reply was quiet, final. "Damon."
She wasn't going to elaborate and no one felt the need to question it any further. She'd agreed wholeheartedly with his choice as she'd watched him dispose of the entire clan in less than a second.
"Good." She heard her brother mumble through clenched teeth and she almost smiled, "When we arrived there was nothing left but a few spots of blood, I was worried-"
"That's Damon for you." Stefan supplied with a roll of his eyes.
"Stefan." Elena's warning taking him by surprise, her fist tightening around the glass in her hand, hackles raised to defend the elder vampire.
"There was a fair amount of residual energy left over," Bonnie supplied, effectively diffusing the situation, "Whatever spell they used it took an incredible amount of power."
"Yea," Jeremy raised a cautious brow at the girl beside him, "You nearly had a seizure over it"
"Did anyone else get hurt?" Elena gaped, suddenly realizing the sheer amount of people that had been in the Grill just before she'd stormed out.
"No." Bonnie smiled reassuringly.
"You're lucky Damon came along when he did." Jeremy offered softly and Elena groaned in acknowledgement.
"I know."
"Not the greatest end to a Friday night I'll admit." The raven-haired vampire spoke up as he re-entered the parlor and moved to top his tumbler of blood with Bourbon, tossing a glare in Jeremy's direction at the almost empty decanter.
Speaking of which, Elena had spent the better part of her Friday searching said vampire out because he'd been avoiding her of course, and finally, finally, she'd found him at the bar drowning his sorrows in a bottle of liquor.
She'd been annoyed to begin with but when she got half way across the room and none other than Andy fucking Star appeared and draped herself across his lap with her tongue firmly implanted so far down his throat it was impossible to tell where the news anchor ended and the vampire started, she'd seen red.
"So sorry I ruined your evening," Elena snipped, crossing the arm not holding a full glass of liquor across her chest, "I'm sure Andie is just devastated."
"Hey," His brow lifted in irritation, "What's with all the Andie hatin'-"
"Nothing." She muttered under her breath, "I should be thankful you managed to drag yourself away long enough to-"
"Don't pull that shit with me Elena," He warned, not at all impressed with her high and mighty attitude after the night they'd had, "I've spent the last year continuously saving your ass and as a vampire, that comes with the perk of being consciously aware of every nuance of your existence, all the time."
She paled slightly. "You knew I was there?"
"If you thought anything otherwise," He scoffed, a knowing look on his handsome face, "You're an idiot."
Elena downed the remainder of her glass in a single mouthful.
"Creepy," Caroline quipped, returning her gaze to the doppelganger. "So what happened after that?"
"Well," Damon delighted in goading his progeny, "Dinner was fantastic, thanks for asking."
"Only you could make dinner sound so ambiguously vulgar." She rolled her eyes.
"It's a skill what can I say," He mused, "I think she might even ask me out again if the volume was any indication-"
"Urgh," Caroline groaned, "Damon, really?"
Elena bristled but managed to remain silent as she stood, wobbling only slightly as she stepped towards him and held out her glass. He paused, watching her intently for a moment.
"You're jealous?" He rolled an amused glance from the brunette to his brother now glaring daggers.
"What?" Elena gaped.
"Green's not your best colour Elena." He teased as he filled her glass.
"It's irritation, I can assure you." Elena scoffed tossing back the amber liquid, clearly impressed she'd managed not to choke on it. At this rate she'd be as bad as him in no time at all.
"So jelly." He smirked into his own drink.
"Shut up." She crossed her arms defiantly, "Am not."
His returning leer was sinful and she nearly groaned at the sight despite being ever mindful that the three vampires in the room could pick up on any changes in her body chemistry, "Are too-"
"Elena!" Stefan effectively shut down their argument as he flashed to her side.
"What?" She furrowed her brow in confusion and took a step towards Damon at the younger brother's sudden appearance.
He made to reach out to touch the torn fabric of her shirt only to have his wrist snatched away at the last minute.
"Careful Steffy." Damon warned, eyeing his brother warily, "You and people blood can't be friends."
"I'm fine," He snatched his arm from Damon's grasp, returning his attention to the thin red sliver of flesh visible through the fabric on her shoulder, "Why didn't you tell me it was that bad?"
"It's fine, like I said," She shrugged, fingering the gash that was still healing, "It's just a scratch now-"
"It's deep, Elena," Stefan narrowed his eyes, "Let me at least take you to see Meredith-"
"Chill out baby bro," Damon drawled wearily, "Let the blood do its job."
Stefan sneered, "You fed her your blood?"
"Cut the crap, Stef," He hissed, standing to his full height and dragging Elena behind him as the two faced off, "How about dialing down that moral compass-"
"How many times are you going to force her to-"
"As many as it takes." Elena caught the infinitesimal twitch of Damon's lip, the veins around his eyes threatening to release the demon she could almost feel raging and straining against its confines.
"Damon." Her voice was quiet as she soothed a hand down the arm still holding her behind him to squeeze his fingers that gripped firmly but not painfully at her hip.
"Enough." The effect was almost instantaneous, as attuned to her as he was and his head cocked slightly shifting his attention to her despite his eyes remaining firmly on his brother.
"You first."
"Okay," Stefan lifted his hands in surrender and he took a hesitant step away.
"Damon."
Her voice was louder this time, more insistent and Stefan marveled as his brother's reaction, the demon within yielding almost immediately to her command and the tension in his muscles relaxed. "Fine."
Elena stood between the two, the look in her eyes a warning as she directed them at the younger brother. "I took it willingly, Stefan. End of discussion."
"Alright." Stefan muttered, with an imperceptible nod of his head that he seemed to share with the vampire behind her.
"Good," She returned her attention to the others who stood waiting to intervene if necessary, Bonnie with her lips set in a determined line, her brother ready at her side and Caroline with her fangs bared ready to pounce.
"It's ok guys, really," She soothed, the two women physically relaxing as Jeremy slumped back into the couch behind him, "Everyone's fine, okay?"
Bonnie nodded and Caroline shifted as her face returned to normal.
"I need a drink." She felt Damon move behind her and suddenly her knees buckled at the tension build up in her head.
"Urgh," The painful throbbing made her groan and the accompanying myriad of images that flashed across her closed eyelids made her stumble forward.
Stefan caught her against his chest a second later, "Elena?" He reached out to steady her, "Are you alright?"
"Don't," She flinched away instantly, his touch making her skin prickle as she stepped back away from him and into the solid wall of Damon's chest, "I'm sorry, it hurts, please-"
"Okay," Stefan nodded releasing his grip, watching as his brother steered her towards the sofa and a waiting Caroline who caught her in a hug as she dropped down into the cushions.
"It's ok, Sweetie." The blonde soothed, glancing helplessly between the brothers as she pulled the throw from the back of the sofa, "It's ok."
"What the hell was that?" Damon questioned his brother.
"Not a clue," He shook his head in confusion, "But it isn't the first time she's reacted like that."
Elena clutched her knees to her chest and kept her eyes closed tightly, the embrace of her friend calming her but not nearly as much as the relief she'd felt as Damon had gripped her arms, steadying her against his warm chest-
"Argh." She hissed, pressing her palms into her eyes to quell the ache in her head.
"What is it?" Bonnie rest a comforting hand on her raised knee.
She shook her head, barely even registering the question as another memory surfaced and she stilled, "I-oh god-my head-"
"This doesn't have to be unpleasant child," Crooned the dark shadow shifting towards her from the alley way. "All we want is a little blood."
"Go to hell." She spat, turning to make a run for the Grill's front door only to find her path blocked by two more of the witch's rather menacingly armed off-siders.
"Look's like we've got another feisty one," The old woman cackled as her apprentice pulled several vials from her bag, "I suppose at least this one doesn't have fangs."
Suddenly she felt herself lifted from the ground, the air rushing from her lungs as she felt herself connect with the wall with enough force that the bricks cracked under the pressure, their sharp edges biting into the skin of her back and arms before she dropped to the pavement below with a sickening thud.
"Help," She could barely manage a whisper from her bloodied lips, "Damon-"
He appeared the moment she'd spoken his name, the entire clan dead before she could even blink. Relief flooded her despite the pain as she felt him pull her into his arms, the familiar smell of bourbon laced leather and cologne engulfing her.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" He shook her slightly, hysteria seeping in at the sight of her. "Coming here alone?"
"You were avoiding me," She accused, blood seeping from the corner of her lip, "I needed to see-"
"You need to drink." Damon hissed, the unmistakable sound of his canine's unsheathing making her head spin.
She shook her head in objection, pushing his arm away when he tore into the flesh of his wrist and held it to her lips."You're hurt."
"And you're dying," He snapped viciously, "Now drink-."
"No."
"Look, Princess, this is no time for the moral high ground," His irritation and fear barely contained as he held her tighter, "I can wait, but you can't-"
"Damon, I-"
"Elena." He pleaded, the damage to his body taking its toll as he slumped back against the wall.
"Elena, fuck, stop!" Damon cursed as the crystal tumbler slipped from his fingers and shattered across the polished wood floor.
She groaned. "I can't-"
"No," She struggled to lift her arms, groaning as she pulled the hair from her shoulder. She refused to budge an inch on the matter despite the fact she was in pain and quite possibly bleeding to death, but she couldn't risk losing him, not now, "Damon please," She clung to the front of his bloodied jacket.
"Fine," He seethed, growling as he suddenly maneuvering her into a better position in his lap, holding her against his chest as he pressed his wrist more insistently against her lips. "But just so we're clear, I'm having Stefan keep you on a leash from now on."
"Good luck with that." She snorted weakly, trying to ignore her racing heart as his fangs grazed the skin of her neck. "We're not together anymore."
"Then I guess I'll have to you on a leash." He hissed against her throat, his fangs piercing neatly into her flesh and she bit into his wrist on reflex.
The instant they were joined the world went startlingly white, her heartbeat throbbing in his ears as life giving blood flowed between them, surging like a tidal wave in its intensity and bursting with so much power it threatened to consume the both of them.
He'd known it was a bad idea to begin with but he never expected, could never have even imagined it could have been like this with her. He cursed himself for being so damned whipped that he bent to her will without even so much as a single thought about consequences. Their shared blood merged and igniting with every pull he took from her veins and her from his, the delicate tether of blood beginning to knit the two of them together and he reluctantly pulled away, tearing his mouth from her neck with a groan at the loss.
He felt her shudder in his arms, caught up in the dizzying sensation of second-hand blood lust and desire and another emotion he could scarcely put a name to let alone recall ever feeling anything as all consuming. But he'd let his guard down, realizing his error far too late as the gurgled chanting of the dying Witch reached his ears.
"Adiuro vos quod animae alligavit et infractus…"
"No!" He growled, but it was already too late as the old windbag used the last of her remaining strength and the world suddenly exploded in fire around them.
He felt the demon within rage free, echoed by something equally as fierce and terrifying within the girl in his arms, unyielding power enveloping them as the two forces came together against the onslaught until nothing remained save the two of them and a smattering of dust.
"Damon-" Her fingers were white as they clutched at the cushion below, her eyes wide as her shoulders shook, unconsciously reaching out to the thin tether still dancing in her mind.
"Don't." He hissed, reaching for a bottle of Scotch, quickly unscrewing the lid and tossing back almost half its contents before he spoke again. "You'll just make it worse-"
"I don't like the sounds of this," Stefan accused angrily, "How do you expect us to help if you're only telling us half the story-"
"We thought she was dead," Elena panted as her pulse raced, as the blue eyed vampire gaped unable to stop her, "Damon, but you- you-"
"Elena?" Bonnie looked worried now, Stefan looked incredulous and Damon livid as he stood gaping at her.
"No!" He hissed, rounding the table to tower over her, "Don't you dare say another word."
"If it wasn't for you I'd be dead!" She stared up at him angrily, "Why are you so mad-"
"Because I should never have done what I did," He hissed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration, "And this- oh this is bad."
"What?" She narrowed her gaze, hurt seeping through her anger.
"Stop that, just stop, Ok! You're taking it out of context." He growled, pushing away the shimmering tether that pulsed between them and she physically recoiled, her chest burning as he rejected it. "Get out of my fucking head!"
Caroline tilted her head in aggravation, "What the hell is going on?"
"Damon, what did you do?" Stefan narrowed his eyes at his brother.
"Damon, please," Elena whimpered as he pulled further away, her head pounding in time with her heart. His borrowed blood pumped furiously through her veins, the memory of it making her delirious despite the pain, "It hurts-"
"Shit." Her plea seemed to bring him to a sudden realization and flashed to her side, crouching down in front of her and taking her head in his hands. "It's okay, I'll fix this," She stilled at the contact, lifting her gaze as he spoke, "I promise."
"But-" Her mind reeled, reaching out for him in an attempt to pull him closer as her small fingers clutched at his hands.
"You need to calm down," The calmness of his own voice belying his inner turmoil, "I can't control this for the both of us, not like this, so here's what I need you to do Elena."
"I can't- it hurts-" She objected, wary enough despite her protests to try and keep her thoughts on controlling her breathing and not on other far more distracting things like the colour of his eyes or the fall of his dark hair or the pulse of his neck-
"Elena-" He warned, effectively halting those particular thoughts, "Focus."
"I can't," She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks, "This isn't me, I'm just a human, not a witch or a vampire-"
"You're a doppelganger," His tone was firm but he held her face gently as he spoke, "You're supernatural by default, something like this was bound to happen eventually."
"How do I shut it off?" She gaped, noting the rise and fall of his chest through the tight black tee that left little to the imagination-
Focus Elena!
"Close your eyes and picture a giant mirror ball, can you do that for me?" His response a whispered hiss of breath that made her eyelashes flutter as he rest their foreheads together.
She nodded, taking a deep breath as he continued."Good, now I want you to drag everything inside the ball, what you're thinking, feeling, all of it- tuck it away inside so that nothing escapes.
And for the love of all things holy do it fast because if you don't get out of my head right now I'm not gonna be held accountable for my action-"
She gasped at the implication as another stream of unguarded emotion passed through her, a memory of his childhood, his Mother's soft caress across her cheek and words, so many words she didn't understand even as they'd exited her mouth unhindered but she felt the meaning behind them all the same.
"Ho paura, che cosa se non posso?" Her eyes snapped open and she groaned once more in pain.
"I know you are Sweetheart," He murmured, closing his eyes with a shake of his head, "It'll be alright, just keep it together ok, anything that's not you, I want you to picture it reflecting off the ball ok? Don't let anything in."
With a nod she her eyes shut tightly as she gripped at his shirt, following his instructions to the letter.
"What did she say?" Bonnie whispered over Stefan's shoulder.
"She's scared." He supplied quietly, watching his brother caress the love of his life with a tenderness that made him sick to his stomach.
"Elena speaks Italian?" Jeremy enquired softly, scratching his head as he looked on.
"No," Stefan replied knowingly, "But Damon does."
Elena felt him graze the edges of the mirror in her mind, tucking in a stray thought or feeling here and there until her eyes shot open, widening in relief and wonder as he opened his own.
"Good girl." He stared into her until with a nod she slumped forward into his arms in exhaustion.
He sighed in relief as he laid the now sleeping brunette down on the couch, pulling the throw over her body before grasping Jeremy's shoulder as he sat down beside his sister. "She'll be fine."
The boy nodded, the vampire's reassurance removing any doubts as to her wellbeing as he watched him remove himself to the bar and down three full glasses of Bourbon before anyone dared speak.
"So," Caroline shook her head in mild confusion, "Damon can read minds?"
"On a good day," He replied curtly, his eyes never leaving the sleeping doppelganger, "Most vampire's have a latent telepathic ability, whether they learn to use it or not is another thing entirely."
"Oh," Caroline stilled, a huff passing her lips and Damon wasn't sure whether to be thankful for the way her comment diffused a potentially volatile situation or irritated that she was bitching about him.
"Why couldn't you have passed that along instead of an uncanny ability to conveniently run into you whenever you want something."
"It comes with time and experience and as much as it pains me to admit this Barbie," He drawled, "I'm your Sire, you're drawn to me. Get used to it."
"Trust me," Bonnie remarked, "Between the Crows and the fog, bloodlust notwithstanding, be thankful that's all you got stuck with."
Caroline huffed in outrage. "Unfair."
"Chill out Barbie," Damon rolled his eyes, "If it really bothers you that much I'll make a point to find time between dramas to teach you."
"Really?" She perked up at that, genuine surprise gracing her.
"Sure," He shrugged, returning to his drink and avoiding his brother's stare, "Why the hell not."
Bonnie watched Jeremy gaze down at his sister, gently stroking her hair as she slept.
"So are we going to address the real issue here," Stefan crossed his arms, "Or have we all just accepted the fact that Damon has somehow managed to bind himself to Elena."
"Who cares," Jeremy muttered, knowing they'd all hear him regardless, "He saved her and I really don't give a fuck how he managed it."
Damon's eyes widened, his glass stilling before his lips at the solid backing from the younger Gilbert.
"You don't know what you're saying," Stefan narrowed his eyes incredulously, "You think it's right for him to go traipsing about in her mind without her consent?"
"I did no such thing." Damon glared.
"Stop." Bonnie warned, holding up her hand to silence the two brother's before they could continue. "Vampire's have perfect recall," It was more of a statement than a question, "Correct?"
Damon nodded in response but remained silent.
"I'm going to need that spell." She murmured, returning her attention to Jeremy and Caroline hovering over their sleeping doppelganger, somehow at peace despite everything that had gone on in the last few hours.
"It'd be easier if I knew the specifics of the original spell in its entirety," She glanced up at Damon, "Could you write those-"
Wordlessly the elder vampire pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it over, an odd expression passing across her cinnamon features as their fingers brushed.
"What?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"Nothing," She answered all too quickly, pulling a grimoire from her bag and setting it down on her knees, "Thanks."
"Sure." He shrugged discounting her reaction to concern for her friend, before flopping down in the chair opposite as Stefan stood resolutely by the fire with his hands stuffed into his pockets.
Bonnie swallowed thickly, turning her face away from the two vampires as she made a show of perusing her book. She'd seen the tether as they'd touched, its continued strengthening now a constant pressure in the back of her mind with the both of them so close together.
Problem was, from what she'd seen it wasn't just Damon who'd bound himself to her as Stefan had so viciously suggested, his jealousy over their closer-than-most friendship ever apparent, but the doppelganger herself had chosen, whether it had been a conscious decision or not, to return the sentiment and wrap herself just as firmly around him as he'd done to her.
They were kidding themselves if they thought there was any way they could break this, spell or not, the decision would come down to the two of them and no amount of interference, magic or otherwise would be able to separate them.
A/N
Hey guys thanks for reading, hope you've enjoyed the first chapter!
This is my first fic for TVD, everything you recognize belongs to LJ Smith and the CW except for the plot, that's all mine!
Updates will be weekly so I hope you'll all stick around and see what I have in store for our hero's!
Reviews = Love!
L