Chapter 3: Upkeep

"Ughh," Elena awoke with the involuntary groggy sound, but became self conscious and alert quickly. She found noone around in her close proximity this time and was a little surprised to find herself in her makeshift den Damon had insisted on earlier. She tested her strength by raising herself on all fours and was quite stupefied to find that she didn't feel weak or sore, prompting her to inspect her shoulder. Astonishingly, her skin looked completely smooth and healthy. Somebody had healed her. Of course it would only take a few drops of vampire blood, but it puzzled her nevertheless. Who had done it? Did Katherine artfully hide all her life that she cared or did Stefan follow through Klaus' orders of protecting her? Stealthily, she drew herself closer to her entranceway and peeked out.

Not fooled by her furtiveness, Katherine gave her a knowing look, but turned her attention back quickly to the figure in her lap. Damon's head was on her thighs and her arms held his upper body, drawing soothing or absent minded circles on his back. Elena took a fleeting glance in Stefan's direction, occupying what previously had been Katherine's eluding corner, seemingly in his own world, unresponsive and idle, then slowly made her way over to the other two prisoners, solely driven by her need to be by Damon's side. "How is he?" She asked the other woman.

"Beaten and starving, what do you think?"

"Will he be able to heal without..nourisment," she avoided the word blood in case that provoked the hungry vampires.

"Its not his injuries I'm worried about," Katherine's rubbing palm moved from his back to his side and drew circles on his stomach now, making Elena think she was not random or absent-minded at all. "Sooner or later and with some discomfort, we'll all just mummify and how unpleasant that may be for me and Stefan, it would not be the end of the world."

"For you and Stefan.." Elena inquired, not missing the little detail that Katherine didn't mention the other Salvatore. "What's going to happen to Damon?"

"A lot more unpleasant for him as he didn't drink straight from a human for a long time," the vampire gave in a tone that confused Elena. It could've been anything in between felicitous, compassionate or pitying. "He's already got really bad cramps."

"Don't listen to her, Elena," the girl heard Damon's weak voice, laced with pain and the effort it took him to angle himself towards her so he can see her. He had to act as close to normal as he could, regardless of how far he actually was from being like himself, because he did not want Elena exposing herself again. If anyone knew how dangerous that was in the proximity of jack the ripper, it was him. "Katherine likes to exaggerate and distort the truth."

"Let me help you," Elena uttered the exact words he was afraid of, "if you just drink a little, it should ease the pain some, shouldn't it?" She reached out to him, touching his arm compassionately and not missing the fact that no matter how much he refused help, he did not make any attempt to stop Katherine massaging his stomach. Her arm brushed to the doppelgänger's in their actions and the Bulgarian hissed like a tiger, pushing her face closer to hers, pulling Damon's frail body back at the same time, like an animal defending her prey. The behaviour perplexed Elena and she drew back a little, "why?"

"I do have my own code of morals, Elena. And while you were out I promised Damon that I would not let you offer yourself up for a carnage."

"But you love him Katherine, you said so yourself, how is it you can stand watching him suffer?"

"I'm not," the mediaeval vampire spat, turning him a bit more onto his back from his side so that she could reach and cover his whole stomach with her rubbing hands. "I'm going to make him happy by keeping you alive, little fussy missy. Someone's worried about your welfare. I have a weakness for true love and all that," she grimaced making it obvious that she didn't like Damon's new state of being obsessed with someone else other than her for a change, despite of having complained about his fixation before, "and I prefer love stories to go on for centuries, not end."

Damon reached for Elena's hand, all the while gazing soulfully into her eyes. Entangling his fingers into hers, he pulled her a little closer, "just trust me Elena. It'll all be okay if you go back to your cubbyhole. You need to let us all mummify and then maybe Bill will consider us having passed the test and let us all out," he gave her a weak, encouraging smile to accentuate his words. "You are aware of the fact that its the correct thing under the circumstances, I'm sure."

Elena felt her face muscles responding to his smile with a sympathetic one of her own. They sat quietly, hunted pairs of eyes seeking solace in each others', their hands tightening together without realising. Their bind was an anchor of security giving them strength for what was to come.

"Please Elena," Damon urged her at long last, "if you want a future for any of us, you're going to have to keep yourself out of danger."

The human stirred out of her fixation on Damon's face and glanced in his brother's direction. There was no indication that Stefan had heard them or that he was present in spirit. While she still inclined to give him a chance as every single person deserved, she couldn't quite manage to convince herself to trust him anymore. Bill did not understand vampires for sure, but if she came out of this alive, his opinion might change. She bit her lip, knowing that Damon was right.

Tbc