The Choices We Make
DG32173

Sarah: here's chapter two. I hope everyone enjoys it. Also, I'm so sorry about the delay in updates! I've had hell trying to come up with a destination for them to go to. I hope this appeases you!

NOTE
This chapter follows Damon and Elena after Damon carries her body with him as he vamps away from Stefan.

Chapter 2
Queen of Darkness

Damon scoops up Elena's temporarily dead body and takes off at top speed. He didn't like being forced to snap Elena's neck. But he had given her his trust and she knew how rare it is. He has a feeling her lies were only made because of Stefan. He's seen how Stefan shoves his decisions down Elena's throat and forces her to abide by what he says. He also knows just how much Elena hates lies and liars.

'And he says I'm the one who doesn't care about her,' he thinks angrily. 'He doesn't love her for who she is. He's the one who wants a Katherine look-alike, but one that will do everything he says and to hell what she thinks. He's just like Father was to Mother. It's no wonder she ran off soon after Stefan was born. Then that poor excuse for a step-mother he married next had the spark driven out of her by his cruelty. I'm not letting Stefan do that to Elena.'

He's been fond of Elena pretty much since he first met her, on that road while she was waiting for her parents the night they died. He was going to jump in and save her from drowning, but Stefan was already in the water. He curls his lips in a silent snarl at the thought of how Stefan got to see this bright, vibrant young woman. How Stefan got to Elena first, his silver tongue turning her against Damon. Men of the Salvatore family had been born with silver tongues and undeniable charm for centuries before Damon was born. And it galls him that his brother got to Elena first. He really shouldn't have made her forget their first meeting. He should have just compelled her to keep quiet about it. Well, she'll remember that little scene between them when she wakes up. Compulsion put on a human goes away when they become a vampire.

He carries her back to his car. He places her in the passenger seat, buckles her in gently, then flicks around to the driver's seat. If he's calculated things right, Stefan will just now be leaving Sheila's place to track Elena by scent. Damon smirks, turns the engine on, and heads for the witch's house. Broody little brother would have given them full scoop of what happened, so the witches – he knows Bonnie is staying with her grandmother at the moment – are probably working on a daylight ring for Elena right now.

He pulls into Sheila's driveway. He glances at Elena's body, checking for signs that she might wake up soon. Finding none, he gets out of the car and vamps up to the door. He rings the doorbell, crosses his arms, and waits. After several minutes, Bonnie opens the door and hands him a beautiful lapis lazuli ring. "Stefan told us. Take care of her and keep her away from him. And try not to let her kill anyone, Damon," she says.

He shrugs. "The Craving is always strongest when you taste human blood for the first time, whether it's the first time ever or the first time in a very long time," he informs her. "I'll do what I can, but I can't make any promises. Accidents are bound to happen, given that she has eternity ahead of her." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I know this isn't what she wants," he starts.

"Actually, Stefan has dictated her wants since they got together. Once I was clued in on the secret, Elena talked to me about both of you brothers," Bonnie interrupts.

"She talked about me?" he asks, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Elena and I are like sisters. We tell each other everything that happens to us. She told me one day that she wanted to become a vampire so she could spend eternity with Stefan. I told her to tell him that. The very next day she was crying on my shoulder for hours because he had told that he will never turn her, that it's 'not what she wanted'. She's also told me some fascinating facts about you. I'm sworn to secrecy, so I can't tell even you. I'm just saying that lately she has been absolutely miserable being 'Stefan's girl' because he won't let her make a single choice for herself and is constantly trying to get her to break off her friendship with you. Just because I don't like you doesn't mean I won't tolerate you for her sake. If you want to hit the road for a while with her, I'll let Jeremy and Jenna know that Stefan betrayed her trust again and that you're getting her away from him again. Just make sure you come back eventually. Before her lack of aging is too obvious."

Damn looks at the ring thoughtfully. "Thank you for this lovely bit of information. Give my regards to Sheila," he says, turning around and heading back to the Camaro. While he loves the vintage convertible, he has always been longing for a classy, modern car. Maybe a Ferrari? He'll talk it over with Elena, once he's calmed her down. While snooping through her room one day, he found a small collection of car magazines hidden at the very bottom of her underwear drawer. Most guys wouldn't snoop all the way to the bottom of a girl's underwear drawer, but Damon isn't most guys. He knows every hiding place in Elena's room and what she hides in each one.

He climbs in the driver's seat of the Camaro. He turns to Elena and picks up her right hand, sliding her daylight ring on her ring finger. "I think you and I will take Judgy's advice and hit the road for a while," he tells her softly, starting the engine. "But first, I think I'll tell Anna about Stefan's choice tonight."

With that, he drives to the motel Anna is staying at. He pulls up outside her room. Again, he checks to make sure that Elena won't wake up anytime soon before getting out and going up to the motel room. He bangs on the door. Anna flings it open. "I didn't expect you to come back," she says. "Where's the grimiore?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about. I found Stefan and Elena at the spot the grimiore was hidden. Stefan had the book in his hands, so I grabbed Elena, forced my blood on her, and gave him the choice between handing me the book or watching me snap Elena's neck and turning her. Considering that Elena's in my car now with a snapped neck, I'm sure you can surmise what his choice was," Damon says.

Anna is livid. "What did he do with the book?" she demands, her vampire face showing.

"He burned it. It's probably a pile of ashes by now," Damon informs her. He puts his arm out in front of the older vampire. "Don't kill my brother. I think we should leave that pleasure to Elena. After all, she's the one he betrayed most by burning that book. He knew I was serious about turning her if he chose the book over her. Do whatever you like to him, just don't kill him." He pauses in thought. "Though I'm sure Elena wouldn't mind too much if her brother became a vampire as well. And I know you have feelings for little Gilbert, so don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. Tell him about Stefan's choice if you want. But don't either of you kill him."

"So, we can torture him?" Anna asks, her lips curling in a dark smile. "So long as his actual death as at Elena's hands, we can do anything we want to extract vengeance?"

"Be my guest. I just want to see the look on his face when the woman he loves becomes the harbinger of his death. That would be even sweeter than killing him myself. Don't you agree?" he asks coyly.

Anna smirks, malice glittering in her dark eyes. "Just make sure to give me a call before you let her kill him. I want to see that look myself. You already have my number. Tell Elena I'll protect Jeremy and Jenna. Hell, I'll even protect that history teacher those three like so much. You're brother is not up to those tasks on his diet. And don't let Elena end up having that pathetic excuse for an existence. That is not how vampires should live."

"I know. Human blood is Stefan's biggest non-fatal weakness. I will not allow Elena to turn into a Ripper," Damon promises. "I'll teach her the proper way of feeding from the beginning. I'll teach her control."

"How long do you plan on being out of town?" Anna asks. He opens his mouth to deny this, but Anna cuts him off. "Don't lie to me, Damon. You are taking Elena out of town for a while to keep her away from Stefan's influence in her feeding habits. Though, considering the fact that he chose a book over her, I doubt Elena will allow him to have any influence on her life from here on."

"I'll bring her back once she's under control. Can't have her attacking the human population of Mystic Falls. Not when so many of the founding families know about vampires and how to kill them," Damon says, turning around and heading back to his car. "Just make sure that Stefan is still alive when we get back."

"As much as I want to kill him myself, watching his face while Elena tries to kill him will be so much more satisfying," Anna says. "All I'm promising is that I won't kill him. And I won't let Jeremy kill him either, when I turn him. I'll teach Jeremy control myself. I won't promise that I'll stop Stefan from doing anything stupid. How will Elena be protected from the sun?"

"Sheila and her granddaughter already made Elena a daylight ring and it's on her finger. I'm sure they'll make one for little Gilbert for Elena's sake. They know just how much she cares about her brother," he says from the car. "Well, just stopped by to tell you that the tomb will never be opened. Crystal is destroyed. Emily's grimiore is ashes. Have fun getting non-lethal revenge on Stefan. We'll be back when we get back."

Anna hesitates before dashing forward to place a hand on Damon's arm. "There's something you should know," she says.

Damon looks down at the pint-sized vampire. "What?" he asks.

"I was using your affections for Katherine to get your help in opening the tomb so I could have my mother back," she says quickly.

Damon narrows his eyes. "What do you mean by that?" he demands.

"Katherine was never in the tomb," she informs him. "She used the roundup as a way to fake her death so she could hit the road without loose ends."

Damon feels like he just got sucker-punched. "What?" he gasps, staring at Anna in shock.

"I last saw her in 1983, in Chicago. She was at a concert, watching Stefan. She knew where you were, Damon. She didn't care," Anna says softly.

As Anna speaks, Damon feels the flaming tongues of anger and betrayal burning away what remains of his love for Katherine and replacing it with hate. A large part of his heart has already been put in Elena's hands, but a small part of his heart had still yearned for Katherine. Damon growls as that small part of his heart is snatched from Katherine's grasp. If this is what Elena had felt when Stefan chose a book over her, then it's a good thing that he's getting her out of town. She'd paint the town with Stefan's blood, dragging his mutilated, still living body with her while she did it. Because that's what he'd do to Katherine if she was standing before him right this second.

"I need to leave, now," he snarls, getting in the driver's seat and shutting the door. He starts the engine, pulls out of the motel parking lot, and proceeds to put Mystic Falls in the rearview as fast as the Camaro can drive.

Eight hours later

Elena's POV

The first thing I notice as I slowly wake up is a sharp pain in my neck. 'Why does my neck hurt so much?' I wonder. Then, I am caught up in a memory I didn't know I had.

"I know Bonnie. You're right. You and my mom both are. I just can't bring myself to tell him," I say into my cell phone. "At least not tonight. Call you tomorrow."

As I hang up, a voice full of surprise makes me look up. "Katherine?" the beautiful blue-eyed man breathes. He's standing in the middle of the road and staring straight at me.

"Um, no," I say as I look over my shoulder, wondering if he's talking to someone behind me. But I'm the only one here. "I'm Elena,"

"Oh. You … you just look …," he says, tripping over his tongue. He sighs, obviously annoyed with himself. "I'm sorry. You just really remind me of someone," he says, walking closer to me. "I'm Damon."

"Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere."

"You're one to talk. You're out here all by yourself."

"It's Mystic Falls, nothing bad ever happens here." I look down at my phone then return my eyes to his. "Got into a fight with my boyfriend."

"About what? May I ask?"

"Life. The future. He's got it all mapped out."

"You don't want it?"

"I don't know what I want."

"Well, that's not true. You want what everyone wants."

"What, mysterious stranger who has all the answers?" I ask, smirking at him.

"Well, let's just say that I've been around a long time. I've learned a few things."

"So, Damon, tell me. What is it that I want?"

"You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure. And even a little danger," he says, walking closer.

"So what do you want?" I ask, obviously catching him by surprise. Before he can gather his wits again, I turn at a familiar car horn honking. I see my parents' car making its way towards us. "It's my parents," I say, turning back only to find him directly in front of me. My eyes lock with his and I feel a powerful, uncompromising grip on my mind.

"I want you to get everything you're looking for," he says, his eyes dilating in contracting rapidly. "But right now I want you to forget this happened. Can't have people knowing I'm in town yet. Goodnight, Elena."

Immediately on the heels of that memory comes a much more recent one.

Damon's bleeding wrist is pressed against my mouth and I can taste his rich, sweet blood on my tongue as I'm forced to swallow it. 'Stefan will stop him,' I think as Damon tells Stefan to give him Emily's grimiore or he'll snap my neck and turn me. Though I've wanted to become a vampire for a while now, I don't want it to happen like this. But Stefan hesitates. Why is he hesitating? Doesn't he love me? I know he doesn't want that tomb to ever be opened, but is his desire to beat his brother greater than his love for me?

In spite of my sudden doubts, I hold a strong front as Damon and I have a verbal sparring match over whether Stefan will save me or not. Then Damon tells me that Stefan has made his decision. I gulp and look up at my boyfriend. Then Stefan breaks my heart. "I'm sorry, Damon. I can't let you open that tomb," Stefan says, tossing the grimiore in the fire.

Betrayal, hatred, and pain rage within me as I glare at Stefan, their flames burning away my love for him. I feel Damon's hands on either side of my head as he tells Stefan he made the wrong choice. Then darkness envelopes me.

So that's why my neck hurts. Stefan chose that book over me and Damon snapped my neck while his blood was in me. I feel feral growls ripping their way out of my throat. "I'll kill him," I snarl, snapping my eyes open.

I snap my head to the left when I hear a wry chuckle. "Who are you talking about? Me? Or my pathetic excuse for a brother?" Damon teases.

Then I notice that it's sunny outside the car. We're on some highway, out in the countryside. "Why am I not burning up?" I ask slowly.

"So, you remember what happened," he remarks, grinning wickedly at me. "Good. I didn't feel like having to explain last night to you if you didn't."

"Answer me, Damon," I growl.

"Ooh, I'm so scared," he mocks. He gives me a sharp look. "Remember, Elena, I've got a hundred and forty-five years as a vampire on you. You can't beat me." He turns his eyes back to the road. "But to answer your question, take a look at your right hand."

I hold my right hand up and gasp at the gorgeous lapis lazuli ring on my finger. I had shown it to Bonnie the day I told her about wanting to become a vampire. But when Stefan told me that I didn't want to become a vampire before I could even ask him to turn me, I went straight to her house to cry my broken heart out on her shoulder. I left the ring with her and she promised she'd hold onto it for me until the day I needed it.

"Your witchy friend gave that to me when I stopped by Sheila's to let them know what happened. She clued me in on a few fascinating details," he murmurs.

I realize with a start that he had been talking so softly that a human would not have heard him this entire time. Suddenly, my teeth and gums ache and my stomach starts trying to tie itself in knots. "My mouth hurts," I whimper.

Third-person POV

Damon glances over at the young vampiress beside him in sympathy. "That's because you're in transition," he tells her. "The rest of your body will slowly start to hurt as well until you drink human blood to complete the transformation."

"What happens if I don't drink blood?" she asks.

He scowls. "You'll die," he says. "It'll be slow and painful as your human blood works its way out of your system. The longer you go without completing the transformation, the stronger the Craving will get until it will rule your actions rather than you. And the entire time, the pain will become worse and worse. You'll be dead within forty-eight hours of being turned, after the last of your human blood is gone."

"How do you know?" she asks softly.

He gives a humorless chuckle. "I went through part of it. I didn't want to complete transition. But brother dearest couldn't bare to face immortality without me so he brought a human girl to the clearing where Emily had hidden us. He bit the girl's neck and shoved her at me. The Craving took over and I drained every last drop of blood from that girl's body before I could get back in control. By then, it was too late. I was officially a vampire. Stefan wouldn't let me die when I wanted it more than anything, so I promised him an eternity of misery in revenge." Elena is quiet for several miles, thinking over her options in spite of the pain. Damon watches her from the corner of his eye. "Who is it you plan on killing?" he asks finally. She looks at him in confusion. "You're first words when you woke up were, and I quote, 'I'll kill him'. So who is it you plan on killing?"

Her eyes narrow, filling with malice. "Your brother," she snarls.

"Well, if you're going to kill him, you'll have to be on human blood. I can teach you how to feed from humans without killing them. I can teach you all the tricks in the book to being a vampire," he says. "But, first, you'll have to complete transition. There should be a few blood bags in the glove compartment. It's up to you. I don't want to watch you die, but I'm not going to force your hand in completing transition."

Elena flips the glove compartment open and sees a number of blood bags. She pulls one out and looks at it. She can feel her top canines elongating into fangs while the veins around her eyes pop up prominently as she looks at the red liquid in the bag. She knows the whites of her eyes are stained red with blood. She's watched Damon feed from these things often enough, so she knows how it works. She looks up at Damon's sharp intake of breath. "What?" she asks.

Damon had glanced at Elena and watched as her face transformed. Dear God, she's even beautiful vamped out, and in a very different way than Katherine was. He inhales sharply at her beauty, wondering if it's possible that she could become his Queen of Darkness. Then her question brings him back to reality. "You're beautiful," he says softly.

Her gaze turns back to the blood bag in her hands. Her throat feels dry and – the Craving, that's what Damon called it – the Craving screams at her to drink the red fluid in this bag. She thinks about Damon's words. He told her she'd have to complete transition and be on human blood if she wants revenge on Stefan for choosing a damned book over her. That decides her. She rips the valve off the top of the bag and uses the tube as a straw to drain it of its contents. Immediately, she feels the pain in her mouth subside. Though the blood tastes stale – and how would she know it tastes stale? – she can't bring herself to stop until the bag is completely drained.

Once she is through, Damon snatches the empty blood bag from her hand and puts it in a black garbage bag he keeps in the floorboard of the backseat. "I didn't want to lie to you," she tells him after a half hour of driving in silence. "He wouldn't back down until I promised I would. I don't go back on my promises."

Damon smirks. "I figured he was behind your lies. I know how much you hate lying and liars," he replies. "Don't worry, Elena. Once you can control the Craving, I'll take you back to Mystic Falls and we can both get our revenge."

"I thought turning me was your revenge," she says softly.

Damon rolls his eyes. "No, turning you was one of the two options I gave him. I wasn't going to let him have an Option C, where he got rid of the book and kept you human," he retorts. "I was as surprised as you were when he tossed the book into the flames. But, obviously, he underestimated how serious I was about there being no Option C. He chose the book over your humanity, so I proved to him just how serious I was." He glances at her. "Judgy told me that you have wanted to be a vampire for a while now."

"I picked out this ring a week after I found out about your secret," Elena says softly, wiggling the fingers of her right hand. "It took me just one week to come to terms with everything that was going on and make my decision. That night, I went to Bonnie and told her everything and told her my decision. She encouraged me to tell Stefan the next day. I decided to bring the subject up by asking how someone turns into a vampire. But he shot me down by saying that being a vampire wasn't something I wanted. He said he would never turn me into a vampire. Basically, he broke my heart. He didn't understand why I fled the boarding house in tears that afternoon. I went to one of the few places I knew he didn't have an invite, which was Bonnie's Grams. Bonnie was staying there for a while to practice her powers. I cried on her shoulder for hours. I gave her the ring to hold onto. The second she touched it, she had a vision and said that I would need it one day and she'll hold onto it until then. I just never thought I'd end up a vampire like this."

Damon nods in understanding. He never thought she'd want to be a vampire, much less end up as one, by his own hands and blood. "So, tell me, how do you plan on killing Stefan?" he asks.

"First, we have to worry about making sure I can control myself no matter how much human blood I'm around. I don't want to end up feeding on a seriously injured friend rather than helping them. Later, we'll figure out a plan to make Stefan pay in the most painful way possible," she says darkly. "We don't necessarily have to kill him. Just making him wish he was dead would be more than enough. We'll make him feel that way forever."

"Anna told me something you will find quite fascinating," Damon says softly.

"Oh?" Elena asks.

"Turns out Katherine was never in the tomb. Anna last saw her in 1983, at a concert. She was watching Stefan. She knew exactly where I was. She didn't give a damn," he tells her, his voice tight with rage.

Elena reaches over and gently pries Damon's right hand from the steering wheel, lacing her fingers through his. "We'll get through this, together," she says, her voice strong. "We have each other to lean on. Even if the so-called loves of our existences let us down so cruelly, you and I will still have each other to look to." He opens his mouth to say something, but she cuts in. "If you even consider letting out a smart aleck remark, I'll slap you."

He winces. "Your slaps were painful enough when you were human," he mutters.

"Oh, shut up. You're on human blood," she growls, though there is a hint of satisfaction beneath the growl.

"Exactly! If you can slap me hard enough as a human that it actually stung despite the fact that I was on human blood, I don't want to know what you can do as a vampire," he retorts. Damon glances at her and growls, "Stop looking so pleased with yourself."

"Why shouldn't I be pleased with myself? The Damon Salvatore just admitted that it stung when I slapped him as a human," she gloats.

"Don't push me, Elena," he warns.

"You won't hurt me," she says softly. "You would have done something long ago if you had wanted to hurt me." He growls softly, knowing she's right. She looks around curiously. "Where are we, anyways?"

"We are in Kentucky, almost to the Missouri state line," he replies.

"Where are we going, then?" she asks.

"I was waiting for you to wake up so we could make that decision together. I was just heading west to put as much space between us and my brother as possible," he replies.

She thinks quietly for several miles before she makes her decision. "I've always wanted to go to Vegas," she says at last.

Damon laughs. "You know, I think that's one of the few places I haven't been. It's settled then, we're going to Vegas," he replies.