In Repair

Rated T

S05E01- Splish Splash I was Taking a Bath...

a/n: I don't want to wait for the next season! Do you? I got such positive responses to my previous fics, I figured I'd tackle season 5 and see where it takes us all for the summer. Please R+R, and if you haven't yet, check out my other fics!

"The veil went back up." said Elena as she stepped into the Salvatore living room. Damon was sitting adjacent the fireplace with an empty tumbler.

"Did you find Bonnie?" he asked without looking up.

"No, Kol attacked me and then disappeared." said Elena sitting across from him in the lounge chair.

"Yeah. Rick is gone too." Damon sighed and looked up. "Kol attacked you? Are you alright?"

Elena smiled. "Nothing vampire Elena can't handle." He grinned back at her, staring at her doe-sized eyes. He hadn't really had a chance to absorb everything that had happened today, and his conversation with Stefan before he left to dispose of Silas left him feeling fuzzy. Damon wasn't used to winning, and having things work out in his favour. "That was really dumb by the way. Your whole werewolf venom situation." she scolded.

"Yeah. I got that when you cracked me in the face. Wicked right hook by the way." Damon shrugged and smiled at her. She seemed distant. He felt distant too- in shock. "What's wrong?" he asked, searching her face.

"I have to tell you something." she started.

"If it's that you've already changed your mind about loving me..." he said sarcastically

"...do I need to punch you in the face again?" groaned Elena rolling her eyes. Damon grinned.

"So I guess in this case it's the other way around. They always say when boys hit little girls it's because they like them. A punch in the face just means you care, right?" he waggled his eyebrows in a signature Damon-like way.

"Ugh be serious for a second Damon... I'm not sure you're going to like what I'm about to say." snapped Elena leaning forward in her chair. Damon's eyes went dark and bore into her.

"What?"

"When you gave me the cure earlier- I gave it to Stefan-" she started.

"...he didn't use it, I just saw him an hour ago." interrupted Damon.

"I know. He gave it back to me. So I had it on me when I went looking for Bonnie, and Kol came looking for me." she continued. Damon raised an eyebrow to silently signal her to continue. "Kol wasn't the only one looking for me. Katherine was. Bonnie promised her Silas-like immortality or something... she was really pissed she didn't get it and wanted to take it out on me." explained Elena.

"Obviously you kicked her ass, or you wouldn't be here. Unless you're Katherine..." Damon grinned slyly. 99% of him was sure Elena was sitting right there... but there was always the chance.

"Not exactly." started Elena. "She got me through the throat with a pole." Elena pointed at her still healing throat. "So I slammed the cure into her mouth, and knocked her unconscious." Elena stated it, as if it had been the most normal thing in the world.

Damon stared, his mouth slightly open. He was silent.

"Say something." urged Elena.

"I..." but words escaped him. "Where is she now?" he asked after a few more moments had passed.

Elena shrugged. "I left her lying there and went looking for Bonnie. When I didn't find Bonnie and decided to come back here, she was gone."

"Wow." said Damon.

"Wow." agreed Elena. "It was just the only thing I could think of in the moment. She was killing me." she admitted. "I hate her so much, but I realized, all the power she has came from being a vampire."

"All the fear she created came from being a vampire too." added Damon. "There are going to be a lot of angry humans and super naturals looking for her if word gets out."

"We're the only ones that know." said Elena feeling unsure of herself. She wasn't expecting this sort of objective observational response from Damon. It made her uneasy. Did he think of her differently now?

"Well, it was her or you." he said leaning across and taking her hand. "I think Katherine considers humanity a fate much worse than death." he added. "Now she can't run from her past or her human feelings, and there's no compulsion that can help her."

"She still looks like me. She can still cause plenty of trouble." said Elena, surprised that she could still have fear of the woman she'd just knocked down a peg.

"True. But Klaus would come for her in an instant, doppelganger blood and all." he replied. Elena nodded, still looking shaken. "Hey." Damon reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "You did good." he smiled that infectious grin. The one that often caught Elena off guard, confused her, and distracted her. She half smiled back at him. "It's been a crazy few days." added Damon. "Graduation, avoiding the apocalypse, disposing of Silas, saying goodbye to your dead brother and all our dead friends..." he thought fleetingly of Rick again, wondering if the ghost was watching all of this unfold.

Damon patted the leather couch seat beside him, and Elena crossed over to sit with him. In what seemed like a very vulnerable and affectionate moment, she plopped her head against his shoulder, closed her eyes, and sighed. Her looked at her features as she lay there, her long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks, her soft illuminated skin, the way her chest slowly lifted with each breath... In that moment it was as if everything that had happened with Elena finally clicked. All the love and yearning he'd developed over the years, all the fear that everything was because of the sire bond, all the anger and frustration, and all the surprise... just came to a silent focal point in his mind as he accepted everything that has transpired. Elena Gilbert loved him. Like Rick had said, he got the girl.

Damon got the girl. He got the girl and he was scared. Things were always too good to be true for him. Last time the sire bond had held him in the back of his mind, a dark voice always whispering doubts. But here she was. Elena was his. She was here with him on the leather couch. She'd been through one hell of a day- just like he had. She was here.

"What are you thinking about...?" murmured Elena, not opening her eyes.

"You." said Damon, reminded of the moment he'd seen her on the stairs before the Miss Mistic Falls Pageant and that one word had sliced him.

"...but I'm right here." she replied, eyes still closed. He draped his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder.

"I know." he sighed contently. "I know."

Coraline was pacing the floor of her bedroom. Her mother watched on from the doorway. "So anyway Tyler, message number five now. Call me back." she clicked the end call button and sighed, refusing to look up at her mother knowing she'd be staring with sad eyes.

"Just give it a night honey." said her mother with a sigh. "He probably hasn't even checked the phone, or maybe he's gotten a new burn out." Liz had been helping make sure Tyler could bounce cell phones around and block tracking software on the chance Klaus had been tracking his voicemails.

"You're probably right mom. I guess I just thought, even if Klaus hadn't freed him... I thought he'd contact me on my graduation." she sighed. "Selfish, I know. I forget I am a crazy vampire and don't get to enjoy normal human things anymore." she slumped.

Liz crossed into her daughter's room. "You may be a vampire kiddo, but you'll always be my daughter." she gave Caroline a hug. "I'm sure, he'll call." she smiled and touched Caroline's cheek. "I'll be up for a little while updating my case files. Let me know if you need to talk some more, okay?"

Caroline nodded and hugged her mom back , sniffling. "I guess I may be a vampire but I still freak out like a human." she gave her mom a half smile. "I'm just going to spend some time alone."

Caroline sat herself in front of her vanity mirror and began to brush out her hair, and put it back into two braids for sleeping in. The phone on the bed buzzed, and she leapt for it with vampire speed. She didn't even check the caller I.D.

"Tyler?!" she cried.

"Hi Babe!" he called back. "Happy Graduation, I'm sorry I couldn't be there."

"I'm so happy to hear your voice." she sniffled. "I was so happy to see you for prom but it just made me miss you even more. Has Klaus gotten word to you?" she asked.

"Yeah... I got word..." said Tyler softly.

"Isn't it amazing? I promise it's not a trap, he's got this thing for me so he-"

"-Caroline." he tried to interrupt.

"but it doesn't mean anything and he knows it. He showed up to save us though when the witches attacked and-"

"Caroline!" he tried to interrupt again.

"I know I know, just why aren't you home yet? You should be here by now!" she asked it meaning to show that she was strong and okay and could wait a few more hours. She didn't expect the hesitation on the other end of the phone. "Tyler. You're coming home, right?"

"Yes Caroline... just not ye-"

"Not what?!" she demanded.

"I can't come home yet." he said softly.

"Why the hell not?" cried Caroline stamping her foot without meaning to. Her emotions getting the better of her.

"Klaus has some kind of hold on Haley. I need to find out what's going on before I come home." he explained.

"Haley? She betrayed us. She was working for Shane, and Katherine, and probably flipped on them too!" yelled Caroline.

"She's an orphan Caroline. And she's a part of my pack. I can't just sit around while Klaus has her in New Orleans." Tyler was trying to sound calm and rational. "She needs my help, whatever he has on her... I need to find out why she's staying. I can't just believe she's pregnant or something and staying on her own will."

Caroline was silent. She couldn't argue with his logic, but she wanted to be selfish. He'd already been gone for so long.

"Just..." she started but her voice gave out. "Just don't end up dead. Come back to me."

"I'm his only living hybrid left. He's also in love with you, and you love me. He's not going to kill me. You'd hate him forever." said Tyler.

"I know you're right." said Caroline wiping away tears. "I just don't like it."

"You don't have to like it babe." said Tyler, smiling to himself on the other end of the phone. "But at least I can call you. I'll be home soon it shouldn't take long. I love you."

Caroline nodded, but stayed silent, and Tyler hung up the phone. She sat on her bed staring off into space, and then tossed the cell phone against the wall- splintering it into a dozen pieces.

You don't need to breathe.

...

You don't NEED to breathe...

...

Stefan wasn't doing a very good job of convincing himself. Lexi had told him once- made some epic parallel- about how vampires can give up their humanity but never really give up their human habits like eating, drinking, sex, and breathing. She told him some story about a vampire who lived in an airless tomb and didn't breathe for a century. He'd only been fully submerged now a few seconds. Only moments ago the last bit of air seeped out through the hinges in the safe, and dark water seeped in.

Feared gripped him. He tried to remain calm and remember what he knew. He knew Silas had locked the safe and tossed him in. He knew a simple lock couldn't hold a vampire- so there was a strong chance he'd put some sort of charm on it. He knew Silas would likely insert himself into his place in his life to try and get Bonnie to lower the veil. Relatively speaking, Stefan knew he must somehow be related to Silas, the way Katherine and Elena were related. He knew Elena still had the cure and Silas would come looking for it. The thought enraged him. They were so close to winning this time. Somehow they always dropped the ball in the end.

Stefan had been counting. He was nearing 3 minutes of holding his breath and his lungs were screaming for air. He was afraid. He was either about to have to fight his urge to breathe for however long it took him to get out of here, or he'd die. If he managed to hold his breath he was going to very slowly starve, and the deeper he moved down the water the more pressure was being applied to the safe. His ears popped. Stefan wasn't sure if it was the fear, the pressure, or the tightness from lack of air running across his chest, but he knew he had to do something so he could think, fight the fear, and figure this out.

He flipped the switch.

Elena had fallen asleep, resting against Damon on the couch. He swirled the remnants of his last drink in his glass, watching the amber liquid drip from one side to the other. He listened to Elena's rhythmic breathing. Damon wondered if Stefan would be back soon. Alaric was gone, that meant so was Lexi. Stefan would be coming back alone, with nothing to think about but how Damon won the girl. Caroline had texted him earlier to pass on the good news about Tyler, and he'd yet to hear from Bonnie or Matt. Damon didn't like letting his guard down... but after everything he'd been through in the past week he felt fuzzy. Elena's revelation about her feelings was still sinking in, and Damon couldn't help but feel guilty and sad for Stefan. Elena was all he ever wanted. He wondered if Stefan had felt this way when Katherine revealed she'd chosen him over Damon.

"Well..." said Damon starting to stir. "Time to head to bed." he scooped Elena into his arms, up off the couch and headed up the stairs to his bedroom. She barely moved, her head against his chest.

Damon looked around the room as he pushed things out of his way with his foot. He was a tidy creature, always feeling his room was his solstice he worked hard to keep his living space clean and comfortable. Elena had been off and on for the past little while, and some of her items were still strew across a chair. It was strange bringing her in there like this, knowing there was no sire bond between them, knowing her emotions were back on.

When Stefan talked her down- after he'd killed Matt to make her flip the switch- Damon had watched on in awe. For that instance he felt like he never really did know Elena. Stefan seemed to connect with her on a primal level. He'd risked her hating him forever by killing Matt, so she could have her emotions back. They'd never really addressed it and he wondered if they ever would. There was a lot they should probably talk about from the past few months.

Damon gently laid her down on the far side of the bed, and when he started to pull down the covers she murmured. "Mmm I'm a mess."

"No you're not." shushed Damon. He continued pulling the blankets over her.

"No, I am." she stopped his hand with her own. "I'm covered in dried blood and dirt. I'll ruin your bed."

"I'm not worried about the bed." laughed Damon looking down at her with a smile. She sleepily smiled back.

"Well, at least let me have a bath first." she suggested.

Damon waggled his eyebrows. "Now that, I can arrange. Why don't you get undressed and I'll go set it up." he suggested.

Elena could hear him arranging things behind the privacy screen that was next to his bath tub, and the water running. She smiled to herself. It seemed like forever ago that she, Bonnie, and Caroline took over the boarding house for a girls night and she wound up sitting in the deep tub. Wondering out loud why she'd never taken a bath in it, and now she was going to get to.

"I believe in the restorative powers of water you know." said Damon as he obviously lit candles. Her vampire senses picked up on the subtle smoke before her human senses would have, and she could now see the soft light through the privacy screen. She stood up on the floor and pulled her wrap off, pulled of her socks, and started to remove the rest of her clothing. "We're all made up of water, even vampires. Blood is made of water. Water sustains life... even for vampires." continued Damon.

Elena found one of Damon's robes lain across an arm chair, and she wrapped her nude self in it while she waited for him to finish. A light scent of lavender was in the air. "Water washes away the blood, the dirt, and even as a vampire it can wash away pain- the mental kind." he stepped out from behind the screen and smiled with his arm outstretched. "Your bath awaits, M'lady." he grinned like a little boy and Elena had to fight rolling her eyes. She simply grinned back, and took his hand.

Damon had indeed set up a few candles, the water was steaming and fragrant and she suspected filled with bath salts, and it looked extremely inviting with its bubbles. Damon motioned for the tub and Elena lingered a moment. He'd seen her naked, many times at this point. But this seemed different. It felt different. Her heart was racing, and her vampire hearing told her his was too. They could both hear their own blood in their ears. Elena stepped to the edge of the tub and started to carefully shrug out of the robe. Damon took it by the shoulders and held it up while she stepped in, adverting his eyes.

It was funny, and almost a tad ironic for Damon. He'd have done anything for a glimpse of Elena's skin months ago, but now he could look and he wasn't. He was her boyfriend. He'd thrown that carrot in front of her when she'd lost her emotions. He'd seen her like this before. But somehow this moment felt different. Intense but foggy at the same time. It felt new. He heard her dip into the water, and he put the robe over the privacy screen. She'd pulled her knees up to her chest and was leaning on them, smiling at him. His skin glistened from the water, and bounced the light from the candles. He crouched down on the floor and let his arm dangle into the tub, swirling the bubbles while he rested his chin on the edge, smiling back at her.

"I'm going to keep trying, you know." he said softly.

"Trying what?" asked Elena.

"To keep being, I don't know... better? Decent? Worthy of this love I guess." Damon shrugged. Elena gave a half smile. She took a deep breath and let it out.

"Now that this is all done, with Silas... I think I want to keep going with the college idea."

"Yeah?" asked Damon. "I think that's a smart idea. You'll like college. You're in control of your thirst, there's no looming evil over Mystic Falls... You may be a vampire but that doesn't mean you get to miss out on all these human experiences. They're still new to you, vampire or not."

It still surprised Damon that Elena hadn't taken the cure. Instead she had chosen this and chosen him. He wanted to keep reminding her to revel. To enjoy the gifts that come with being a vampire. "Of course, I might sneak in your dorm window from time to time-" there was that eyebrow waggle again and Elena laughed like a songbird. "What...?" Damon smirked.

"You know..." started Elena looking around the tub, almost nervously. "You can come in too..." it was a suggestion, but she almost posed it as a question.

"Yeah?" Damon raised his eyebrows and his head, a little surprised but trying not to look too shocked.

"Yeah." nodded Elena. She didn't have to tell Damon twice. He stood up and lifted his black shirt over his head and started to pull at his belt. Elena watched the bubbles floating in the tub, a slight blush on her cheeks. Damon got in quickly and tried to make sure she had enough space. There were still plenty of bubbles.

"Turn around, I'll wash your back. Sea sponge." he reached passed her for the fluffy yellow sponge, and she did as he suggested and turned around. "Tell me more about collage. What are you thinking of majoring in?"

Elena pulled her hair into a braid while Damon dripped water down her back. The moment between them was intense, and intimate. But he was making small talk to help her relax and feel comfortable. With every drop of water that hit her skin and slid down, Elena imagined all the troubles of the past washing away. Just as Damon had helped her visualize earlier. "I was thinking... psychology."

"Psychology eh?" Damon asked as he scrubbed her shoulders. "Want to get into someone's head?"

"Well yeah actually. I mean look at the cases we deal with. I think psychology might help me understand everyone better, maybe even myself." replied Elena.

"You've put some thought into this." remarked Damon as he poured warm water down her soapy neck and back.

"Well, I'm a vampire now. I can get as many degrees as I want I suppose. Psychology now, maybe literature next time." she mused.

"Here." Damon pushed on her a little bit, making her lean her head back. She raised her eyes and looked up at him but he was already shielding her eyes with one hand, while pouring warm water down her hair with the other.

"I already braided it." she laughed.

"It had blood in it." replied Damon. "Katherine really nailed ya, huh?" Elena straightened up and Damon pushed her hair aside to examine her neck. There was no mark anymore, but he touched her skin anyway. Then he reached for the shampoo and massaged it into the long strands.

"Yeah." replied Elena, and then remained silent. There wasn't really anything else she could say. She wasn't sad in the least about the condition in which she left Katherine. She felt Damon nudge her again and she leaned her head back, closing her eyes while he rinsed her hair. "This is nice." she remarked. "I think you're right about water."

"I end up right about a lot of things." smirked Damon. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder. "I was right about you."

"Oh really?" smiled Elena as Damon trailed kisses from her shoulder to the nape of her neck.

"mhmm... when I first saw you I told Stefan you had spunk." said Damon between kisses. "I was right when I said you wanted a love that consumes you."

"I remember you saying that... now. I remember all the things you compelled me to forget. I remember that I met you first, and I remember that you told me you loved me." said Elena softly. She turned around then, quickly, surprising Damon. "I love you. You do consume me." She said feverishly kissing him, long, and hard.

It caught Damon off guard but he kissed her back, he still had one hand in her hair, the other cupped her face. The bath was warm and so were their bodies. It was dizzying. The air smelled like lavender and her. He felt himself leaning back, drawing her even closer as she leaned into him. They gasped for air between kisses and a euphoric wave washed over him, just like their first morning after together. Only this time there was no sire bond, he could be completely sure this was real. Elena Gilbert loved him. Elena Gilbert was in love with him. Elena Gilbert chose him. Elena Gilbert was here.

Elena felt consumed. For these few intimate moments she let go of everything, everything that had happened since she became a vampire. All those emotions and guilt she'd been trying to ignore. Her hate for Katherine. The fear of Silas. Everything was washed away in the bath and consumed by Damon. She'd been so happy when they first got together, but after she'd flipped her switch for so long she'd forgotten how good she'd felt with him. She didn't even know why the sire bond stopped working, and she didn't care. She was just happy she could finally show him how she really felt.

She kissed his neck the way he had kissed hers, and her teeth grazed him unintentionally. The droplet of blood that formed on his skin caught them both unexpectedly. Their vampire instincts always kicked in around blood- even vampire blood. Elena lingered there, looking up with her large eyes, and then kissed his neck where the blood had pooled. Damon felt a shiver up his spine like a dog.

Things were, progressing, and Damon was just about to lift her out of that tub with vampire speed and back onto his bed- bubbles and all- when they both heard knocking from downstairs. They froze. "Stefan?" asked Elena.

"Why would Stefan knock? It's his home too." said Damon rising out of the tub and reaching for a towel. "Maybe it's the witch." he crinkled his brows into a frown. It wasn't so much that their moment had been interrupted, but that he had the sinking feeling that everything was yet to be resolved from the veil. He passed Elena a towel, and then his robe, then quickly pulled on the pair of jeans he'd dropped on the floor.

"Whoever it is, smells human." said Damon. Elena nodded in agreement as they headed down the winding stairs- still dripping. "Maybe Matt?"

Elena was feeling the same as Damon. It was mildly annoying to have their romantic moment interrupted, but more worrisome than anything, that things were possibly left unfinished. She took a deep breath and prepared herself as Damon opened the front door. "...Jeremy?" Jeremy stared back at her with a sheepish grin. "Did something happen? Was Bonnie not able to lift the veil?" she immediately asked.

"She got it back up." said Jeremy softly.

"Well then... why are you still...?" started Damon. "...did the witch...?"

Jeremy shrugged. "I was going to go home, but then I remembered you burnt it down."

Elena crossed the threshold of the door and wrapped her brother in a hug while Damon watched. Tears poured down her face. She thought she'd said goodbye, but he was here. Flesh and blood. Jeremy was alive. He hugged her back.

"You better come in before someone sees you." said Damon pulling the two of them in. "You're supposed to be dead, little Gilbert. Not that we're not happy to see you."

"Where's Bonnie? How did she do this?" asked Elena.

Jeremy was silent. "Bonnie... she decided she needed a break after all this." he hesitated. "She tried the spell on a lark, and it worked. But it took... a lot... out of her." he fumbled for the words. "She decided to spend the summer with her mother." Elena responded by simply hugging her brother tighter, but Jeremy could tell from the look on Damon's face he wasn't buying it.

"Naturally you're welcome to stay here as long as you need." said Damon awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "There are a lot of rooms." he started. "One at the other end of the house should be good." he tacked on not wanting the little brother interfering with anymore romantic moments.

"Thanks Damon." said Jeremy meeting his eyes. There was a look there, and a silent exchange passed between the two men. They'd certainly be talking about this later, but clearly whatever Jeremy had to say couldn't be said in front of Elena right now.

"I just can't believe you're alright." said Elena pulling back and touching his face. They smiled at each other and Elena turned to smile at Damon. "isn't this wonderful?" she beamed.

"Yeah." forced Damon feeling a twisting sensation in his gut. "Great."

Silas had been standing at the base of the cliff watching the water for an hour now. He wanted to make sure the spell had taken, and Stefan was sealed below for good. It worked out in his good fortune that the Bennett-witch had died. If she didn't, he'd have been imprisoned in that stone for the rest of her natural life. He scowled to himself. Her being dead still posed a problem. He needed her to help him bring the veil down again, and he had no idea where the cure was now. At least she was within his other world. The one he created for his beloved. He had an eternity to figure out this problem.

For now, he needed to address Damon- the remaining Salvatore brother. Stefan and Damon were both distant ancestors, and he needed to be sure Damon wasn't the key to his undoing. He checked his reflection in the side mirror of the car. Despite all his powers, it wasn't like he could suddenly make up for being on death's doorstep for so many centuries. He had no idea how to drive one of these machines. He was, however, very fast. It took him less than an hour to arrive back at the Salvatore mansion.