I Still See You.
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Elena's car pulled up to the old Salvatore boarding house, and when she finally parked, she refused to leave the car.
Due to the catastrophic events in Mystic Falls, and the number of deaths from people in founding families, Stefan had allowed the town to keep the old Salvatore mansion for historic reasons. Elena asked why it wasn't Damon's house to give, seeing as he was the oldest. The reply was Stefan saying that the will was made to give Stefan the house and it's belongings, not Damon.
Elena felt a pang of sympathy for Damon, he must have not had a good relationship with his father whatsoever if even Guiseppe ignored customs to give the house to Stefan.
But Damon didn't seem to mind. Stefan had talked to him briefly about it, but Damon just downed his Bourbon and nodded, only speaking when he had to say he needed a refill.
The house was to be searched through tomorrow, and Stefan asked Elena to accompany him while he searches through their old belongings to get rid of potential evidence against them being vampires. Elena then said that Stefan should keep his old stuff, rather than give it away, and Stefan agreed.
Stefan said he would probably need boxes, and when she arrived to bring the boxes inside the house, but she sat numbly in the seat, still subconsciously refusing to leave the car.
Instead, she pulled out her cell phone reading Stefan's last text for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day.
Be careful with Damon, he's on edge. Just come inside and go straight to my room, he doesn't want to be bothered. I love you.
Elena felt great discomfort reading the message, it seemed to be filled with hidden meanings and emotions. "He doesn't want to be bothered"? Why on earth would Elena bother him? Was he often bothered by her very presence?
Now Elena was just acting proposterous, why would it bother her if she bothered him?
It doesn't, Elena internally scolded herself, it does not bother me at all.
She felt a tear silently cascade down her cheek, remembering the state Damon was in the last time she tried to comfort him. She closed her eyes and fell into her memories, submerging herself in the moment.
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Katherine was closing in on her, but this time, there was no one there to save her. No Stefan, no Alaric, no Damon.
No Damon.
Katherine's abilities surpassed just intensified human skills, such as speed and agility, she could also sense the aura that a mind was echoing as long as they were a reasonable distance away.
Katherine smirked at Elena's thoughts, and then it turned into an angelic, bitter laughter. She was mocking her.
"You know," Katherine began, "Although Stefan was my favorite, I truly don't see why he's yours..."
Elena looked up, puzzled as to why she would believe that, Stefan was her boyfriend, after all, but she allowed Katherine to continue speaking.
"I mean, Damon did try to kiss you..." Katherine giggled deviously, "Oh, 'You decided I was worth saving' and yadda yadda yadda" Katherine spoke feircely, while still managing to mock Damon.
Damn, this girl was a walking contradiction. Innocent, but deadly.
Elena still sat in utter confusion, when did Damon say this to her?
"Oh, dear Elena, I see you are a tad confused," Katherine continued, reading her aura, "After the founders events, Damon went to your brother when he was still human, and then went outside to show you... I mean, me, his humanity" she said the last word, dripping with venom laced underneath, "He thought that I was you. How proposterous!" Katherine giggled more, the giggle was harsh and cruel and insulting.
Elena flinched as Katherine flashed her fangs, her eyes turning a sickening red.
"Elena..." Katherine walked slowly around her, a predator observing its prey, "I know that he feels for you... Do you feel for him?" she asked curiosly. She came to a sudden stop when Elena jutted her chin up defiantly and refused to answer the question.
Katherine, moving impossibly fast, came in front of her and gave a sickeningly sweet smile, "don't worry," She breathed across Elena's neck, studying it, "I won't tell anyone... I am a very good secret keeper"
Elena looked up at her, but flinched at how rapidly she moved her neck. After Katherine nearly draining her dry, she still managed to forget that she should not move her head. The bite mark ached throughout her entire body.
Katherine then drawled, "I'm losing my patience, dear, now tell me," She swiftly moved her delicate hand to Elena's neck, and slammed her head against a tree with full force, digging her sharp nails into Elena's flesh, and bite mark, causing more blood to ooze out of it.
Elena gasped a broken sob, and Katherine released, saying, "I don't want you dead yet, I just want to know... now," Katherine moved a stray hair from Elena's face with gentle fingers, menacingly caressing her cheek.
Why did Elena feel as though the movement was so familiar? 'Stefan' she thought internally, 'Stefan most likely has touched my face like that before... why can't I remember if he did?'
"Elena! I am done with the waiting game, seeing as I need your answer now, before I kill you," Katherine said in a deadly, gentle voice, "you see, if you did care for Damon, I would get to tell him and my Stefan, and they would both be heartbroken!" she clapped her hands together in excitement, "then Stefan's trust would return to me, I would have him, and poor, sweet Damon would be crushed... would be devastated at the loss of you!" the smile returned to her face, "And if you don't... then I would tell Stefan, he would... well he wouldn't terribly mind, and then tell Damon... that would get him Elena" she leaned in close as if she was telling Elena a terribly naughty secret, "because you are the only reason Damon is in pain... he loves you, Elena, and no matter what, you will cause him tremendous pain at your death... and seeing as all I truly want is Stefan, why not cause even more pain than necessary!" Katherine squealed giddilly.
Elena looked up at Katherine, the tears falling down her face rapidly, and essentially stinging her bruised and cut neck.
"Stefan will never be yours," Elena choked out, "he will never love you"
Katherine gave a light 'tsk tsk' sound and giggled, "I don't surrender easily. One day, after your loss, he will give up trying to resist me, and will be with me forever more!"
Elena swallowed the bile rising in her throat, she didn't like talking about the days after her death... her death... the words continued spinning in her head, and she felt the nausea come.
"Now I need my answer, Elena. Do you feel for Damon, or do you not?"
Elena did not want to betray Stefans trust, she loved him and cherished him... but Damon... if Katherine wasn't just manipulating her, could what she said about Damon's feelings for her be true? Did he love her?
Elena knew what she had to say, knew that it would be the ultimate betrayal to the man she loved, but knew she must do it for the man who... who needed it the most.
"I... yes I do... you tell Damon that I loved him. Loved his eyes, loved his smile, loved his soul... you tell him. He has... has to... to know" Elena stuttered on the last part, her mind growing foggy as Katherine took away her will to fight, will to live.
Katherine giggled slightly, "I knew it! You could call it... woman's intuition" Katherine finished sarcastically, "now, you can finally die Elena... shut your eyes, slowly stop your breathing which will eventually stop your heart from beating"
Katherine's malevolent words oddly soothed Elena, lulled her into a dark sleep, and visions of Katherine danced along her head, mocking her, threatening her, laughing at her.
She saw Katherine straighten her back, a vision of grace and beauty, and saw her fangs descend, veins showcased under her eyes. Elena would be prepared for the strike, she would be ready. Elena didn't want to fight any more, so she slumped against the tree and slowly raised her head, so her neck was completely exposed.
Blood lust pulsed through Katherine, and drove an inner animal and rage, and most importantly, a hunger.
What Katherine didn't realize was that bloodlust weakened a vampire... it distracted them.
Elena closed her eyes, awaiting the strike, but it never came.
She heard a growl of rage, then the sound of two objects, possibly boulders knocking together with great force, clapping like thunder. She heard Katherine's shriek of rage, and the sounds of leaves ruffling lightly along the ground, due to unnatural wind. A soft, large hand cupped Elena's cheek, and she recognized it immediately.
"Oh, Elena" Stefan choked, "please, stay with me, please... oh no, Elena, do not give up, keep fighting! Please, for me! For me, Elena!"
But Elena didn't want to fight anymore... she was just so tired.
She heard two people fighting along the ground, then hitting a large object... a tree? Her suspicions were proven correct when a large tree fell to the ground, almost hitting her.
"St-Stefan," Elena stuttered, "where... where is Damon? Why isn't he here?" Elena asked, sincerely concerned. Did she really mean that little to him?
Stefan cried, "No, he's here, he's fighting Katherine..." Stefan trailed off, then, unknown to Elena, looked at his brother, "Elena keep fighting, keep your heart beating, I need to help him."
Elena merely nodded, and she felt his body and hand move.
She would keep fighting, but only for so long. She struggled to, but with much effort opened her eyes.
She took in her surroundings; the forest outside of the Mystic Falls cemetery. A tree was almost directly in front of her feet, after it collapsed from the impact of Katherine and Damon's fight.
Elena immediately fought harder... his name, it revived something in her... it was a spark, a spark of life, and she kept struggling.
She saw a blur of movements, but managed to catch them, even in her almost lifeless state. Damon grabbed Katherine by the hair and threw her into another tree, the impact again causing the tree to fall. Katherine, unphased, gracefully climbed from under the tree in just the nick of time before it collapsed on her.
Elena soon realized they were speaking, so she focused even harder just to hear more than the buzzing ringing in her ear.
"-you do, don't you!" Katherine scolded, "you feel for the human! I have to say, I am truly insulted-"
"You didn't want me-" Elena heard Damon's voice spit back, with a hatred so feirce it shocked Elena. Hearing his voice, it kept her going, and she awoke even more. She not only wanted to hear his voice, she needed to.
Katherine stalked towards the Salvatores with an old elegance, a delicateness that stunned her. Monsters should not move like princesses.
And yet she did, slowly approaching them with a ghost-like, cultivated beauty. She smiled lovingly at them, and as she did so flashed her menacing, pearly white fangs at both brothers.
The brothers did not dare move, and instead of approaching Damon for her attack, she approached Stefan.
"Dear..." She breathed seductively against his skin, "tell me you love me."
Stefan gathered a shaky breath, obviously for a moment being tempted by the demonic woman. "Katherine, I do not love you, nor could I ever love you, nor did I ever" he spat the last part at her with great force and conviction, and Elena felt relief surge through her entire body.
But it only lasted for a moment, and Katherine used her centuries' worth of strength to hurl him across the forest, landing in a tree where an unnatural branch jutted out and stabbed him in the gut.
It caused Elena great pain to witness, but Damon even more so. Damon's eyes lit with a fire and intensity as he met Stefan's gaze, Stefan struggling to pull out of the branch, his breathing ragged and broken.
Katherine's smile faltered a bit, watching Stefan go into the tree and be in pain, but she regained her usual composure and appeared in front of Damon almost immidiately.
"And you," Katherine whispered entrancingly, "do you love me, my Damon? Because I love you... I really do. And when you look at the girl, you see me, don't you?"
Elena's heart shattered upon hearing those words spoken, and to imagine... everything that they had been through! No, it was not true. She was his Elena.
Damon looked up at her through his eye-lashes, obviously in deep thought the way his eyebrows knit together.
Elena felt her pulse quicken at the sight of his blue eyes, they were filled with indesicion for a moment, for the slightest of moments...
'Why is he confused?' Elena raged internally, 'Why would he ever...' she refused to believe what she was seeing as she saw Damon's eyes light with a hateful... conviction.
His decision was made.
And by the looks of it, the decision was not in Elena or Stefan's favor.
Damon's eyes were laced with menace, and his smile that returned eerily to his face was interwoven with menace.
Elena allowed tears to cascade down her face at that moment. She was nothing more than a second choice. A temporary slot-filler.
She let the crushing thought wash through her, bathing in her own self pity and hatred. Why was she such a fool? The tears came easily now, they were soaking her face, broken gasps shaking her delicate frame.
"Katherine..." Damon whispered delicately, reaching his arm behind his back... most likely a Civil War era way of acknowledging a woman. One hand in back, one hand gently grasping the woman's fingertips.
Katherine victoriously put her small hand in Damon's, and she relished in the superiority. "Damon" she squeeled delightfully, her voice like fractured wind chimes.
"Katherine..." Damon trailed off, looking directly into her eyes, pulling her a fraction closer as his hand went even farther back...
"yes?" Katherine pleasantly sighed, stepping another step closer to him.
Damon stepped so close, if they were to move even a fraction of an inch, their lips would graze over eachothers.
"Go to hell."
It all went very quickly, then.
Elena heard an abrupt snapping noise, and saw Damon plunge the hand that was behind him, holding a branch from the fallen tree, into Katherine's back.
Directly where her cold, dead heart lay in her chest.
Katherine looked down momentarily, too stunned to move, and when her gaze returned to him, it was deadly and filled with vengeance.
Katherine sank her fangs into Damon's neck, drawing blood very quickly, weakening him as she died.
Damon growled and threw her off of him, onto the dirt ground. Damon, and a very weak Elena watched as Katherine cracked and died on the fallen leaves.
Stefan had managed to get himself loose of the tree, but sat on the ground gasping and sobbing, screaming in pain every now and then from having to remove splinters. Elena looked at him for a moment, and he returned the gaze, but his eyes were then directed to Damon.
Damon stood there, watching the still Katherine lay on the dirt, covered in blood and mud, her face shallow and pale. His eyes looked from above her, studied her, and he leaned down slowly, and removed a stray curl from her face, and he stayed there on the ground, next to her corpse. Elena still wondered why that movement, caressing her cheek, was familiar. But at that point it didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore when she looked at his face.
His face seemed too... wrong. He wasn't Damon anymore, that side of him died along with Katherine.
The question plaguing Elena was whether or not she would like the Damon that lived.
His eyes, they watered, and the flame, the brilliancy in them was gone. They looked, shattered, down at the woman he once loved. And that was it for Elena, that was all it took for her to struggle that little bit more. She awkwardly stumbled to her feet, still light headed although not as bad as before. Besides her neck and a few bruises, Elena was fine... fine enough. Her hands fumbled to her neck, to find that the blood was dry. She took drunken looking steps, fumbling over leaves, almost tripping over pebbles and stones, but she continued walking. Walking to him. The defiance in her refused to stop moving, to deny to acknowledge the fact that she was losing strength.
Damon sat on the ground, next to Katherine's lifeless body. And as Elena approached Damon, who seemed to be completely unaware of any other presence, she heard a faint mumbling coming from Damon.
"Amore mio, amore mio bello. Ti ho amato con la mia anima, l'anima spezzata. Ho fiducia in te con il mio cuore, i morti, cuore senza ho amato, l'ho fatto.
Ti ho amato, tu donna egoista. Ho bisogno di te, tu donna senza cuore. Ti ho protetto, brutto donna. Ma ti perdono. Ti perdono, è donna egoista. Ti perdono, è la donna senza cuore. Ti perdono, brutto donna. e offro qui, rotto, chiedendo il tuo perdono anche. perdonami per amarti, in primo luogo"
Elena stopped dead in her tracks. Damon spoke his final goodbyes to Katherine in Italian, the words flowing off his tongue fluently, a voice like a lullaby. Broken, soft, beautiful. So beautiful...
She continued to walk towards him, not allowing herself to succumb to the soothing sound of his voice. Soon enough, he lay at her feet, and he was aware of her presence amongst him, but he continued murmuring in his Italian. Elena did not know why, but she dropped down to her knees in that moment, hesitantly lifted her hand, and laid it on his face. She stroked his face lovingly, using her forefinger and thumb to remove the fresh fallen tears. He leaned into her hand for a moment, and Elena's heart rate inclined immediately. She raised her other hand to wipe the tears from the other side of his face, but her hand never made it there.
Damon quickly grabbed her other hand, but instead of the force and strength she expected, his hand was shaking slightly, vulnerable, and he caught her grasp tenderly. His eyes stared straight ahead, not seeing anything, only feeling. Elena watched with delicate apprehension as Damon slowly brought her hand up near to his face, then to his beautiful, sculpted mouth. He turned her hand around and softly, gingerly, pressed his lips against the palm of her hand. He allowed himself to waver there, his nose lightly tracing along her skin, causing goosebumps to raise along her flesh and for her to shudder. Then Damon turned her palm facing downwards, and kissed her hand once more along the knuckles, with the same delicacy and consideration. His eyes closed lightly, as did Elena's, and they both savored the intimate moment. His impossibly long eyelashes lightly brushed her arm which caused Elena to gasp, the sensation was too wonderful. With him so close, she could smell him. Musk, and a light, flowery scent she couldn't identify along with a sweet liquor and the smell of cinnamon. He smelled like... Damon smelled like vulnerability. Elena didn't know how she came to identify it as that, but it just was.
And then, Elena was in his arms, though she didn't know how she came to be. Damon was suddenly standing and she was laying in his arms like a rag doll, realizing how exhausted she truly was, she could just fall into the deepest sleep... if he'd just hold onto her like this forever...
He carried her over to Stefan, who sat on the ground numbly, reaching for splinters in his stomach. He looked up, disconcerted, and spotted Elena. His eyes went round, and to offer some comfort, Elena lightly mumbled under her breath to show Stefan she was fine, just incredibly tired.
And light headed, so very light headed.
Stefan tried to stand , tried to move, but still couldn't seem to make his body function without pain running through every nerve of his body. Elena immediately wanted to help him, to cure him of any pain he was feeling, although it did make her feel reasonably better that he hadn't seen Damon and her's exchange. That, that was theirs. Not Katherines, not Stefans, not anyones but their own.
And Damon stopped a foot away from Stefan and stood, trembling, wavering.
Elena was curious as to why he simply stood there, not letting her go. Stefan sat, gasping, but still expectant and puzzled.
Damon then slowly lowered his nose to Elena's head, inhaling her scent deeply as he had so many months ago, except then he was threatening her. This time, he cautiously kissed her forehead, putting much more pressure in his lips than before. She was so focused and startled and curiously overjoyed in the moment, she didn't realize until his arms loosened around her, that she was safely on the ground, laying next to Stefan. Elena didn't say anything to him, anything they said... it wouldn't be enough. She didn't look up to him, but she heard him rustle around in his pockets, fishing out a pair of keys. The car keys, his car keys. He threw them wordlessly at Stefan, turned slowly and walked into the darkness of the night.
That is when she allowed herself to bury her head in Stefan's shoulder and cry. Sob for everything in her life.
He smelled like safety. Fresh and clean, with the softest amount of cologne. The fight and the wound had not muddled his smell, but why...
Why did Elena feel as though his scent was wrong, was... not the one she wanted?
A faint wind carried along the scent of musk, flowers, sweet liquor, and cinnamon to Elena's nose.
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Elena was immediately pulled back to the present with a gasp, realizing that Stefan was knocking at her car window with a look of concern etched all over his features.
"Hey," He murmured when she opened the door and allowed him to hug her, "do you want to talk about it?"
Elena shook her head, realizing she had been crying for nearly an hour in her car, recalling the memory. Silence descended upon the couple as Elena sat sobbing in Stefan's arms.
"So... you brought the boxes" Stefan joked, referring to her backseat loaded to the top with boxes of all different sizes. She allowed herself to giggle at that, and leaned into Stefan.
He was so much bigger than her, her head was always tucked under his chin, his arms wrapping around her entire body. She felt safe, which was good.
She just didn't feel the perfect fit, almost as if he was too big...
Oh, Elena despised it when she allowed her thoughts to wonder to absurd things, things that made no sense. She loved Stefan. She was meant to be with Stefan. Right?
...Right...
She shook her head, then straightened her back which resulted in Stefan nearly falling out of the seat.
"Come on," Elena said with conviction, "we have to go pick up some momentos!"
Stefan allowed a gentle smile to grace his face, and responded, "let's go"
Wow guys, I have been writing this since... 12:36 am, and now it is 4:47 am and I only have the first chapter done.
So. Tired.
I really hope you like it, I will be slowly revealing the Founders day aftermath, what happened with all the cliffhangers and characters, *coughUncleJohncough* and just tell me what you think, offer criticism. It is my first multi-chapter, and I should be posting every... other day? That is my goal, because I have the outline for every chapter, but if i cant keep up, then it will be every three days and if I cant keep up with THAT, I would probably do once a week, but that is HIGHLY unlikely. Alright, tell me, good, or no good, i'm so excited for some reviews! I have a goal of... possibly five reviews? maybe? if you read and you like, (or you don't like) please write a review because it would really help with my writing. And if you have questions that's welcome!
Alrighty, one thing i'd like to see in a review is what YOUR favorite part was! There is one part that was definitely MY favorite, but I won't tell ;)
Oh and ideas are always accepted and considered!
With love, Taylor 3