Take a chance on me
Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.
Chapter 4: Let the games begin
"She's back," Elena said the second Damon opened the door. She tried to get in but his outstretched arm across the door frame stopped her.
"Well, hello to you too Elena. Charming evening is it not?" Damon said
"Damon, did you not hear me? She's back." Elena repeated trying to push away Damon's hand but he held firm.
"She has a name. It's Katherine. And yes, I know. I was just on my merry little way to find her when lo and behold I open my door and here you are, with your angsty brother, no less. Now, if you'll excuse me it's time for me to go." Damon said with one hand on Elena's shoulder to push her aside.
But this time it was Elena who blocked his path, "No you're not. You are staying here where I can see you. Stefan is already out there tracking her down. Bonnie and Caroline are helping."
"Yeah, I can't connect those dots to what I want to do so I'm still going. I'm not going to babysit you two so Stefan can have all the fun. There's a ton of vervain in the basement and all sorts of wood for Jeremy to practice whittling in case you run into any trouble, plus we also have cable TV. Enjoy."
"We're here to babysit you, Damon," Elena said matter-of-factly, shoving Damon backwards with both hands, "See you're one who is reduced to absolute immaturity when it comes to her, so you stay put and we're going to watch you do just that."
"I'm very stable." Damon said with raised eyebrows, "Unlike the person who thought this is a bright idea. It's not Elena. Come on, what's the worst I can do? Rip her head off? That's the plan anyway right?"
"What's the worst you can do?" Elena asked incredulous, "Do you really want to go down that road?"
Damon glared at her, eyes wandering to the teenage boy behind her, "Fine. You can come in."
"Thank you." Elena said stepping inside, motioning for Jeremy to follow.
"Ah, but not him, not yet anyway," Damon said stretching his arm across the door frame right after Elena passed, "Hands up Jeremy. I want to see that gaudy ring on your finger before you enter."
Jeremy shook his head but raised his hands, making a point to position his ring finger close to Damon's eyes, "Happy? You can't murder me tonight."
"Oh yeah, last I checked the person who last wore that landed in a hospital because someone chopped off his fingers. I have knives too you know." Damon said glaring back
"Damon!" Elena warned, "I wouldn't make jokes like that."
"I just did." Damon said stepping aside to let Jeremy in, "but in honor of our little impromptu slumber party I'll stop."
"Whipped," Jeremy muttered under his breath as he passed Damon.
Damon's mouth fell open and he made a move to grab Jeremy's shirt but Elena stepped in between them and placed a hand on his chest to keep him in place.
"Stop. I swear Damon, look at him wrong one more time and—"Elena started
"And what, Elena? Let's just cut to the chase, I'm all talk and so are you. I already promised myself I'm not going to hurt you, so it goes without saying, Jeremy, Stefan's star pupil in brooding, will stay safe under my watch. And in return, you will watch me like a hawk tonight so I don't go charging out and losing control. Happy?"
Elena's hand dropped and her face softened as she looked at him, "No. Because I still can't get past it, I still can't find it in me to forgive you."
Damon titled his head and smiled at her, the expression on his eyes bittersweet, "Well, what can I say, I'm easier to hate than love. At least you trust me right? To be around him, to be around you and to protect you tonight."
They stared at one another, losing track of time, and just kept fighting the instinct to move a little closer to just hold each other. At least until Damon's phone rang, shattering the moment into oblivion.
Damon held her gaze as he lifted the phone to his ear, "Yes, she's here. I won't try anything funny. I'll even feed them. No, not on them Stefan. Are you deaf? There's frozen pizza somewhere in this house that has their names on it. Give me a little credit. Yeah, uhuh, bye Stefan, happy hunting. Stake her in the heart for me. Love you too Stef."
He placed the phone in his pocket, shrugging to Elena, "Sorry, I'd have passed the phone but I'm not up for suppressing jealousy tonight. Come on, the growing teenager needs to be fed."
"Remind me why you didn't send your brother with Jenna and Alaric on that trip to sunny California? He fits right in as the third wheel." Damon asked as Jeremy swiped the last slice of the pizza
"Damon just heat the other pizza up if you still want some more." Elena said rolling her eyes but making no move to lift her legs from Damon's lap.
"And leave you two alone to plot my untimely demise? I don't think so," he said, eyeing Jeremy as he took huge bites out of his slice, smiling as he finished it off
"Untimely? You should have been dead a long time ago," Jeremy pointed out
Damon opened his mouth to retort but saw Elena give him a look, "Apparently, I'm not allowed to comment on that either even if I'm not the only one in this room overdue for a headstone. Oh, would you look at that. I still said it. Boo-freaking-hoo, Elena."
"You're impossible, Damon." Elena said with resignation, "I'll go."
"Why do you goad her?" Jeremy asked when Elena was out of the room, "I mean you do want to get back in her good graces right?"
"Yes and that's why you got the last slice. I could have beaten you to it but being the remorseful vampire, I let you have it." Damon said with a satisfied smirk with his logic.
Jeremy shook his head and ignored his comment, "I've gotten over you killing me. It was insanely scary but I'm still here. I could have killed you like I wanted that night. But I didn't because I knew it wouldn't change anything. I didn't want to stand for that and it wouldn't help Elena any if I did that. I'd hurt her not you."
Damon straightened up, his face twisted midway between a scowl and a frown, "Your point?"
"You're quite dense aren't you?" Jeremy said with a small laugh, "Would it hurt you not to throw in her face just how capable you are of doing the very things that would mean she'd lose you for good? Dude, I'd stop threatening important people in her life because you're making it hard for her to justify keeping you in it. Stop pushing her away. You're a vampire who cares, it's not that horrible. You can still wear black to make you look cool and scary."
Damon clenched his jaw as he leaned forward, closed his eyes and rested his elbows on his knees, "Remember what I told you? About how much easier it is to live with your emotions switched off? Those are a vampire's natural instincts—to not feel. Everything about this situation is counterintuitive to that. It takes effort, Jeremy, to fight that and be someone who can be around your sister. The fact that I'm right here talking, of all things, and not out there chasing after that crazy bitch means I'm trying. Believe me, those little quips are necessary to let out a little bit of the pressure building up inside or I explode right here and now. Elena is right, I'm still unstable, just knowing Katherine is still walking around this planet. So yes, Jeremy, it would hurt to not at least say what's in my head because it's the only thing keeping me from tearing out of this room like a madman."
"Are you really related to Stefan?" Jeremy asked quizzically
"Why do people keep asking that!" Damon exclaimed throwing his hands in the air
"Asking what?" Elena said stepping into the room, placing the pizza on the table in front of Damon, who promptly took a slice
"If Stefan is really my brother!" Damon said, taking a bite, chewing and narrowing his eyes at Jeremy at the same time
"Yeah I've wondered about that too but it makes sense after a while." Elena said as she leaned back on the side of the couch propping her legs on his lap again
"And…? Care to share why Elena?" Damon prompted, ignoring Jeremy's curious glances their way
"Okay, you just express yourselves in different extremes but you're passionate, loyal and honest—although you, I would describe more as blunt." Elena said, "And you seem to have the same taste in women."
"Are you trying to say something Elena?" Damon said with a wicked gleam in his eye
"Not trying, Damon," Elena answered in the same tone, "I actually said it."
"You're getting feisty, you know that? I liked you better all damsel and distress-like." Damon said staring into the fire
"Sorry, she's not here anymore," Elena said sliding down further as she yawned, turning her head towards her brother, "Hey, Jeremy's falling asleep."
"Uh and so are you. Eyelids look a little droopy there, Elena," Damon pointed out looking sideways at her, handing her a throw pillow, which she promptly embraced before closing her eyes
Damon sighed, "Now, who's the babysitter."
Elena gasped as she woke up, hand over her heart, feeling it racing underneath her chest. She looked around wildly until her eyes settled on Damon's concerned face peering at her.
"You okay Elena?" Damon said, his voice surprisingly gentle and concerned
"Yeah," Elena said shaking it off, "Just a bad dream I think."
"About?" Damon asked putting down her legs and pulling her closer, one arm around her.
"Nothing, just nothing." Elena said leaning against him, her face set in a grim expression
"You're bad liar, has anyone ever told you that?" Damon said
"Hmm…" Elena didn't respond, simply stared straight into the fireplace, thinking back to the last lie she told him, the one he still believes, "Jeremy is still asleep."
"Like a log," Damon said looking at Elena's brother, "Well, it is just three in the morning. You should get back to sleep too."
"Stefan's not yet back?" Elena asked, worry finally creeping up on her, even if there was an odd sense of peace in her heart at that moment
"Nope. But I'm sure he's fine. Katherine would never harm him. She did come back for him, as I'm sure you are all too aware as well." Damon said, "He's fine Elena. I wouldn't stay if I didn't think he couldn't handle it."
"Yes, you would," Elena said with a sigh as she watched the flames dance around, "because if he couldn't, then that means you're the last line of defense between me and Katherine. You'd stay."
"He'll be back." Damon repeated, reassuring himself as well, "Stefan's not a fan of not saying goodbye so he won't just wither away and die without a heads up."
"Would you?" Elena asked hesitantly, not looking at him but still staring resolutely ahead
"Would I what?" Damon asked back
"Leave without warning."
"I already did. Dozens of times since that night I did the unthinkable. I just keep coming back, after a few hours. This is actually one of the few nights I didn't attempt to get the hell away from this town." Damon answered truthfully, not daring to look at her and find out if his words meant anything to her.
"Why?" Elena whispered softly
"Why I keep leaving or why I keep coming back?"
"Both. Answer both." Elena said
"Same answer. You." Damon said simply, pulling away from her to stand up and walk to the fireplace. He leaned on the frame and stared into the fire as if it mesmerized him, "I run away because I know I'm a danger to you because of what I am. I'm a threat to you and everyone in your life even more than Katherine because I know you and exactly what needs to be done to hurt you in a way that you never come back from it. I actually managed that already."
He sighed before continuing, turning around this time to face her squarely, "But I only get far enough to get that clarity in my head to realize that I don't trust your safety with anyone, not even Stefan. Do you think he got the brilliant idea to send you here tonight all on his own? The whole I was going to leave earlier was just for show. Stefan and I… we both knew that if the worst came to pass, he wouldn't be able to defend you because of his 'diet.' I used that logic on him but my motivations ran deeper than that."
Elena swallowed the lump her in her throat but didn't back down, holding Damon's intense look with one of her own, "How much deeper?"
Damon gave her a pointed look, smiling at her, one corner of his mouth higher than the other as he shrugged, "Irrelevant."
"No, I—"Elena said but was cut off by the loud bang when the front door opened, waking Jeremy up, placing everyone on alert.
Caroline came in, half carrying Stefan who had one arm hung limply on her back.
"A little help?" Caroline said looking at Damon pointedly, who rushed to take his brother from her, "thank you! He's one heavy vampire, though you wouldn't suspect since he looks all skinny and stuff. Bonnie? Where's Bonnie?"
Elena started for the door but Caroline pulled her back sharply, "No!" Caroline screamed, "Are you crazy? She's after us and you're running towards her? Bonnie will come. Bonnie will come. But that Katherine is fast. No, Bonnie will come. She has serious magic. Yeah. She's coming."
Caroline paced back and forth in front of the door, muttering to herself rapidly. Elena moved towards Stefan, who was now being supported by Damon.
"What the hell happened?" Damon asked
"Katherine. She's gotten stronger. I don't know. I don't know." Stefan mumbled, losing strength by the second.
"Bonnie!" Caroline exclaimed as the witch came running through.
"Move back," Bonnie ordered as she faced the door, hands on either side of her, as she began to chant in a language none of them could understand.
It was only seconds after she started when they saw Katherine coming towards them, practically a blur, only to slam against an invisible barrier between her and Bonnie.
"You can't come in here." Bonnie said in a voice that wasn't her own, eerie and absolutely lethal
"I can see that." Katherine said tracing circles in the air, testing the shield, "Well, I see you've progressed from petty little mind tricks to something actually substantial. Bravo, little witch."
"Leave." Bonnie ordered, the force of her words literally forcing Katherine to take a step back.
"Oh, I'll go but I just want one last look at Elena before I ruin her life," Katherine said maliciously, staring at Elena, "He's mine, little girl. This is my game and I'm always the winner. He's mine."
"Stay away from Stefan," Elena spat out.
Katherine tilted her head in surprise, a playful smile lighting her face.
"Oh, I wasn't talking about him," Katherine said staring straight at Damon, "I changed my mind. You're the one that I want."
With that, Katherine stepped back, took a bow and melted into the darkness.
Damon took a step forward instinctively as if to follow, but Elena's hand shot out to stop him, her touch surprising him enough to take a single step back, right by her side.
