A/N: Hey guys, again sorry it's been a while but to make it up to you guys this chapter is longer than my previous ones. I really really liked this chapter but im even more excited for the next one! Okay, I have nothing else to say so, enjoy!
As the two men pulled up to the old abandoned house in their black SUV, they immediately felt that something was wrong. They shared a glance and both pulled their guns out of their holsters. Tony looked to his left. "Maddox, you take the front and I'll go around back." Maddox nodded and they both exited the car and cautiously approached the house, Tony going around back.
Maddox was the first to find the body. He inspected the downstairs then made his way upstairs. "All clear!" He descended the stairs and met Tony back in the kitchen. "There's no one here. Is he dead?"
Tony let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I'm not getting a pulse. Boss is not gonna be happy about this." They shared a look and cringed at the thought of alerting their boss of the news. "I'm not doing it. You found the body first, you get to report it."
Maddox cursed under his breath and brought out his cell phone. "This ain't gonna be pretty." He hit his speed dial and closed his eyes, dreading the moment the dial tone would stop. When it finally did his breath hitched in his throat.
"Maddox, I'm not supposed to hear from you until you've brought her back to the safe house." The usually sultry and calm voice was now harsh and impatient. "What went wrong?"
He cleared his throat. "Well, we found the right house. Um, the problem is that, well.. Klaus is here, but.."
"Just spit it out, Maddox. I do not have time for you to be fucking stuttering all over your words."
"The girl, she isn't here." Maddox pulled the phone away from his ear, anticipating a lot of yelling. Instead, the voice was slow and menacing.
"Put Klaus on. Now."
"I can't. He's been shot. He's dead; the girl must have shot him."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S DEAD?" Maddox had forgotten to pull the phone away from his ear and winced at the volume. He heard a loud yell from the other end of the phone and was glad he didn't have his ear up to the phone this time. His boss was breathing heavily on the other end and after a few moments finally spoke again. "Go search for her. I sent the two of you for a reason. You two are my best men, do not let me down. She just fucking shot a man, and you know what she looks like. She shouldn't be too difficult to find. Go." And then the line cut off with a click.
Maddox turned to Tony. "Pleasant, as always." He turned and gestured to the body. "What should we do with him?"
Tony sighed and shrugged. "We might as well put him in the trunk. Boss won't be happy with leaving loose ends lying around."
After hoisting Klaus' body into the back of the SUV they both hopped into the front with their faces set in determination. They had to find this girl.
Damon and Jeremy both sat in the cab in silence, thinking too much to say a word. Jeremy was insanely worried about his sister. He knew the things Klaus was capable of and didn't want to think about what he could be doing to Elena. I can't lose her, I just can't. Repeating the words over and over in his head calmed him down. Driven by the love for his sister, Jeremy stared out the window yearning for some sign of his sister. This lead was a stretch and he had no idea if this was even where Klaus would have taken her. He held on to the hope that he would find her in time.
Next to him, Damon's thoughts were all over the place. He was thinking about how a boring work trip into the city for a client's book signing event had turned into a frantic rescue mission to save a girl he had only known a little over a full day. She wasn't just a girl any longer though, Damon knew that much for sure. He would have never risked so much for just a girl. She had somehow gotten under his skin and for some reason he didn't want to shake her. He knew it was stupid, he was leaving in a week. Seven days was all he had left, because he didn't have a choice but to be in the office next Monday morning.
Anger filled him as he thought about the moronic deal with his father. Damon sighed through his nose knowing there was nothing he could do; he was stuck. Breaking his father's deal was not an option. He had meant it when he had told his father that he would do anything not to have to go through with it. Damon held nothing but resentment for his father. The man was willing to sacrifice his own son's happiness for a business proposition. What kind of fucked up man does that? Giuseppe Salvatore, that's who.
And who the hell had someone found out about it? At this point, Damon assumed it was Klaus who had left the note. This creep had some fucking nerve. Threatening himself and Elena was a bad move. The Salvatore name was a very well respected name in New York City and Klaus would have to have a lot of power to pull through with his threat. He may have had enough to take on Elena, but not the Salvatore's. And at this point, Damon was willing to pull any kind of strings to save Elena, even if it meant groveling to his father. One more life-altering deal with him wouldn't make that much of a difference, right?
Damon audibly scoffed and shook his head, getting Jeremy's attention. He gave him a questioning look and Damon just nodded away. Jeremy's eyes narrowed in on the man who had gone from being a stranger and a threat to his most important ally in less than a day. Jeremy had to admit, it felt good, almost powerful, having someone with him just as intent and focused on saving his sister. He may not have been the most observant person, but Jeremy could clearly see the bond Damon had formed with Elena in the short time they had known each other. Elena trusted him, and that wasn't an easy accomplishment. And what struck Jeremy the most is that Elena trusted him almost instantly.
He let out a soft chuckle and when Damon turned to look at him, Jeremy gave him a soft smile. Damon returned the smile and turned back towards the window, seeing a small girl curled up on the curb in the distance ahead. "STOP! Pull over! NOW!" The startled cab driver slowly started to pull over and it wasn't quick enough for Damon. He was quickly out of the moving cab and running ahead.
Jeremy snapped his head to where Damon was heading and his breath caught in his throat. She's safe. My sister is safe. The cab had finally pulled over and Jeremy sped out and followed Damon running after his sister. He was so focused on getting to Elena and wasn't paying much attention to anything else that when Damon suddenly stopped a few feet before her, Jeremy ran straight into his back. He snapped his head up glaring at Damon. "Wha-" Jeremy stopped when he saw the broken expression on Damon's face. Following his gaze, he looked at his sister, really looked at her. He gasped softly and felt his heart breaking.
Saying Elena looked like hell would have been putting it kindly. She was barely dressed and her hair was wild. She was scrunched up tightly on the curb with her chin resting on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs. Jeremy approached her slowly. "Elena?" His voice was soft and hesitant. She snapped her eyes up to him and his heart broke further. Tears were streaming down her bruised face and her eyes were lifeless. All the blood looked as if it had drained from her face and dark patches lined her eyes. She was no longer the strong and protective sister he had been with only hours ago. Jeremy had no idea what had happened to her, but it had obviously been enough to break her completely.
Elena looked into her brother's eyes and felt two things. The first was love; pure and unconditional love that they both shared for each other. They would both go to the ends of the earth and back for one another. They had always had one rule between them: no matter what happens, protect and love each other at all costs. Elena wanted to get up and crush her brother into a hug, but she couldn't.
She couldn't because the second thing she felt was disappointment. She wasn't disappointed in her brother; no she could never be disappointed in Jeremy. She was disappointed in herself. She should be stronger than this. She shouldn't be breaking. Elena thought back to two nights ago, the first night she met Damon. She thought about how she had broken down in his arms that night. Even though she had felt weak in seeking comfort from a stranger, nothing compared to the weakness she felt now. A few days ago, Elena felt like she would be able to defend herself and her brother from any threat, any obstacle they came across. Now she didn't even feel like she could protect him from a fly.
Elena wanted to stand and comfort her brother. She wanted to tell him that she was okay and that everything was going to be alright. But she couldn't lie to him like that. She wasn't okay, and she had no idea if everything was going to be alright. She had just killed a man; a man that had raped her right before he was about to sell her off.
Shouldn't she be proud of herself? Shouldn't she feel good that she had been able to defend herself in the end? Probably, but all she could think about was watching the life fade from Klaus' eyes. That picture would never leave her mind; it was forever etched in her head. That image would never leave her. She would forever be responsible for taking someone's life away from them.
And where did that leave Elena and Jeremy now? The people who were coming to collect her surely would have found Klaus' body by now and they would know that she had escaped. What would she do? Where would they go now? Elena knew she was now marked for death, but had she just signed Jeremy's death sentence as well? She was so wrapped up in her own head that she hadn't noticed Damon move to crouch down next to her.
Damon. When it came to him her thoughts were even more of a jumbled mess. Who was this man that had charmed his way into her life? How had they formed such a strong and tight bond in such a short period of time? Why has he been protective of her from the very beginning? Elena had much too many questions swirling through her head. She didn't know which way was up anymore. All she could do was stare back into Damon's gorgeous oceanic eyes.
"Elena, hey, it's okay. You're okay." Damon whispered to her as he lightly touched her shoulder. He frowned when she flinched at his touch. What had Klaus done to her? Staring into her eyes he saw a whole other person than the woman he had met two nights ago. Even as she had cried herself to sleep in his arms, she hadn't seemed this broken. Who could do something so monstrous to such an innocent and beautiful girl?
A small voice in the back of his head scolded himself. He didn't know she was innocent. Damon didn't really know a damn thing about her past. He knew her and Jeremy's last name and ages; it had been revealed in the note. But their past? Not a clue. A big part of him refused to listen to the doubting voice. Surely this girl couldn't have done anything to deserve such pain and misery. She had been through so much; too much for a girl her age to go through.
From his crouched position, Damon twisted his head to look at Jeremy who was standing behind him. He tipped his head in Elena's direction, silently telling him to try and talk to her. If anyone could break through to her, it had to be her brother.
Jeremy cautiously knelt down in front of Elena. "'Lena?" He waited a moment until she brought her eyes to meet his. He went to place his hand over hers in a comforting manner but stopped himself when he saw her tense. "Shh, 'Lena it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Jeremy had tried to be strong for his sister, but his trembling voice gave him away.
It killed Elena that she couldn't let her brother comfort her. She wanted to; her head was screaming at her to just let him comfort her, but her body betrayed her by flinching away. The only thing she could seem to do was nod at him to let him know that she understood that he wasn't going to hurt her. Of course he wouldn't.
"Elena." She slowly turned her head to look at Damon. "Are you hurt?"
She closed her eyes as another tear fell down her cheek. I'm not hurt, I'm fucking broken. I feel like I've been shattered into a million pieces and scattered across the earth with no hope of being put back together. I'm trapped in my own misery and terrified of drowning in it. I feel like my whole being has been violated in ways no one should ever be. I wouldn't wish this anguish on my worst enemy. But she knows that's not what he means. He wants to know if she's physically hurt. In all honesty her body feels numb. She shakes her head no.
He lets out a sigh of relief. "What happened? Where is Klaus?"
They're both perfectly innocent questions, but knowing she has to answer them makes her chest tighten. Elena tries to speak but her voice is stuck in her throat. What can she say? There's only one thing they need to know. But what will they think of her afterwards? "I-" Her voice is shaky and raspy. It's just three words, that's all. You can do it. Dropping her gaze down to the concrete she chokes out, "I killed him," before sobbing into her knees.
Some people say that if you're upset you should talk about it because it will make you feel better. If you come to terms with the problem, you can help come up with a solution. Admitting out loud that she had killed Klaus didn't make Elena feel any better. Guilt crashed down on her like relentless waves, trying to punish and torment her. She had no right to take his life away from him. What made her think that she now had a right to be at peace?
Jeremy and Damon shared a worry and panic-filled look. Neither had known what they would find but they certainly hadn't expected to hear those words out of Elena's mouth. Jeremy just stared at her with a pain-stricken face. He didn't know what to do or say. Obviously Elena was taking it very hard but Jeremy had no way to know how to comfort her.
Some sort of instinct kicked into Damon. He knew that they had to leave the area and they had to do it now. Trying not to startle Elena, he tried soothing her first. "Elena, look at me. It's Damon. I'm not going to hurt you, okay? But I need to get us out of here." He turned to Jeremy and had him hail down a cab for them then turned his attention back to the broken girl on the sidewalk. "I'm gonna pick you up, okay? Just remember that it's only me and I swear to you Elena I will not hurt you."
She met his eyes and saw the absolute truth in them and his voice rang with such sincerity that she forced herself to accept his help. As she felt his arms lift her, she just kept repeating the same thing over and over in her head. He's not going to hurt me. It's Damon. He would never hurt me. He's not going to hurt me.
When they had all shimmied into the cab Damon hastily gave the driver the address to the hotel. The cab driver looked into his rearview mirror and saw the terrified girl cuddled up to Damon. She almost looked sick.
"Are you sure I don't need to take you to a hospital? She looks pretty bad.."
Damon felt Elena flinch in his arms and growled out, "No," in a voice so firm and final that there was no more discussion. The rest of the ride remained in silence. Jeremy knew not to try to get any information out of his sister here. Damon thought back to two nights ago and how she had seemed to like it when he would gently run his hands through her hair and up and down her back. He wasn't sure he was even helping until she squeezed herself closer to him.
She didn't know how he was managing to do it, but Elena was awestruck at how much her body responded to Damon's comforting. He was warm and his hands were soothingly ghosting over her back and through her hair. A small part of her thought she was acting like a child, but she pushed it away. She needed this right now. Elena closed her eyes and tried not to think about anything other than how nice Damon's hands felt.
Damon glanced down at the broken angel on his lap. She was so breathtakingly beautiful. He realized he didn't care what kind of a past this girl had. He knew that after this he would do anything to help save this girl and her brother. She was bringing up feelings in him that he hadn't felt in a very long time. He truly had grown to care about her.
When they arrived at the hotel, Jeremy paid the driver and helped Damon get out of the car while still holding Elena. A strong feeling of déjà vu went through Damon as he passed through the hotel lobby to the elevator, again getting odd looks from the people around him. This was the second time he would carry a broken Elena up to his hotel room in such short hours. He almost felt sick at the thought. No one, especially not Elena, should have to go through this.
After entering the hotel room Damon gently placed Elena on the bed. Jeremy crawled up next to her and held her close. Damon went to the door and locked it, feeling secure for the moment that Elena was now safe.
Tony and Maddox drove in a frenzy through the streets of Portland. They pushed the speed limit and rounded corners, forgetting for the moment about keeping a low profile. The girl was absolutely nowhere to be found.
Tony growled. "She's a small girl. She couldn't have gotten this far into the city. We should have found her by now." His patience was wearing thin and he was dreading failing his boss.
"I don't understand either. We've gone up and down all these streets. There's no way she could have gotten away unless someone found her and helped her. Boss is not going to be pleased." Maddox was frustrated. He knew how important this girl was to his boss. He needed to find her and bring her back alive. He glanced over at Tony. "I did it last time, it's your turn to call and break the news."
If the situation weren't so serious, Tony may have found it funny. Two grown, burly men, terrified of making a phone call. He sighed and pulled his phone out, dialing the number he knew so well slowly trying to drag it out. When the dial tone ended, he held his breath.
"Hmmm, I see you got the pleasure of calling me this time. Well? Did you find the girl?" The tone was bored, probably assuming that they had succeeded. They were, after all, the best at what they did.
Tony flinched before answering. "We've been driving up and down these streets for a half hour. There's no sign of her, she must have had help from someone."
His boss let out a very uncommon growl. "Then this leaves us right back to square fucking one."
Trying to be helpful, Tony remembered that Klaus had an informant. "Boss, what about Klaus' informant? He has to know something, right? I mean, that's what Klaus hired him for."
"There isn't anything about her that I don't already know. I know everything there is to know about her and Jeremy. The only thing I don't know is where they've been hiding. If she's smart, she won't go back to the same spot. She'll have already left which means you're already behind." He could hear the clenched teeth through the voice. Not exactly patient either.
"I'm sorry boss. Uh, what do you want us to do with the body?"
"I don't care, Tony. Throw it in the river. Throw it in a dumpster. I don't give a fucking damn. Just be sure not to leave any traces. I shouldn't have to tell you that by now."
"Of course. Maddox and I will keep driving around to see if we can find anything. We'll stick in the area, book a hotel room, stay the night and head back to you tomorrow. Hopefully we can find something out while we're here."
This time, the voice purred. "Fine, I'll see you tomorrow. Send Maddox my best." And with a click the line ended.
Damon had given Elena a change of clothes and let her take a shower. She wasn't saying much but she had assured both him and her brother that she was perfectly capable to shower on her own. Now, standing under the hot spray of the water she was just trying to wash the day away. The hot water and steam helped to calm and soothe her. She was dreading the moment when she would have to tell Damon and Jeremy what happened.
Elena wondered whether or not she should tell them what Klaus had actually done to her. Just saying that he had beaten her would be convincing enough, right? She didn't want to put Jeremy through any more pain. He had already suffered enough because of her. She pushed the thoughts from her head as she washed herself down, trying to drag out the shower as long as possible.
Damon was sitting on the small couch in his room with his elbows on his knees just staring at the ground. His cell phone broke him out of his gaze when it sounded on his bed. He wanted to ignore it but he knew that wasn't an option. He looked at the caller ID and groaned as he saw who it was. Then he realized that he hadn't heard from Alaric in days. "Miss me?"
Alaric's tone started worried, but eventually worked its way to annoyed. "Damon, are you okay? I haven't heard from you at all and Elijah said he's seen very little of you. But Stefan told me you were staying the week. Damon please tell me you're not drinking yourself into a stupor. I don't want to have to fly all the way up there to pull your drunken ass-"
Damon chuckled and cut him off. Oh, Ric. "Relax dude. I'm fine. I've been…" He tried to find the right words, but what could he say? Surely Ric wouldn't believe him if he told him what he had actually been up to. Then he remembered Elijah and his stupid dinner party tonight. Fuck me. "I've been around the city. I'm supposed to be on a vacation you know."
Ric sighed. "Damon, I know you. You don't browse around the city like a fucking tourist. You hate tourists. You actually make a point to mock them any chance you get."
"Oh come on! You have to admit they're obnoxious with their stupid cameras and their stupid t-shirts. Besides, I don't tour like that. I'm used to a city, I know how they work. I'm merely…comparing?" His attempt to blow him off was weak and he knew it, but he had to say something to get him off of his back.
Alaric huffed in annoyance and then sounded as if he were bored. "Well when are you coming back? I know Stefan told me your dad gave you till Monday, but I don't think you should take that much time off, Damon. I know you overwork yourself but I also know how much you care about this company and how hard you work. This just… doesn't seem like you."
Damon hadn't really been paying attention to anything Ric had said. He was instead thinking about his original question; when would he be going back? True, his father had given him till Monday, but Elena and Jeremy needed to get out of this city and they needed to do it now. Damon wasn't willing to leave them, but he knew they couldn't stay in Portland. He spun around to lock eyes with Jeremy on the bed. Jeremy just gave him a questioning look. "Actually Ric…" Damon trailed off. "I'll call you back." He hung up before Alaric could protest.
Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Damon. "What was that about?"
Damon slowly approached the bed and put his hands up. "Now, this is just an idea, so hear me out." When Jeremy nodded granting his approval Damon continued. "It's obvious you two can't stay here. I know that she hasn't told us what exactly happened today but she has told us that she killed Klaus. It's no longer safe for you here anymore. I want to help."
Jeremy looked apprehensively at Damon. His first instinct would be to tell him off, but surprisingly he found that he trusted him. "What are you suggesting?" At this point Jeremy would do anything to keep his sister safe, and he knew that Damon could do that for him.
"This morning, I needed to stay here to protect you and Elena. After that note, I knew you were in more danger than you realized. I called my dad and got him to give me the rest of the week off. However, things have changed now." Damon huffed and ran his hand through his hair. "Now, obviously Elena will have to agree on this but if I have your support it's a step in the right direction." He looked nervously at Jeremy before continuing.
"Alright, what is it? I'll do anything to save my sister."
"Come with me back to New York. We can be on the first flight out tomorrow morning and I can keep you two safe. Much more safe than you would be if you were to run anywhere else. You can't keep running. One day they will catch up with you. I can protect you, Jeremy. I can protect her." Damon added the last part with conviction and tried to read Jeremy's face, but it gave nothing away.
Jeremy stayed quiet for a few moments considering the offer. They had already run to New York, but this time it would be different; this time they had Damon. Jeremy believed him when he said that he would protect them. In Jeremy's eyes, he had definitely proved himself. He wondered if Elena would feel the same way, but Jeremy knew his answer. "I want to go with you Damon." He saw the smile stretch across Damon's face and couldn't help but return it. "However," he added seriously, "we still have to get Elena on board with it. I won't go anywhere without her."
Damon looked at him solemnly. "Of course, I won't either." Jeremy gave a look of surprise but Damon tilted his head and gave him a knowing look. "You two have rubbed off on me, that's for sure. And believe me when I say it doesn't happen often." At the sound of the bathroom door clicking, both Jeremy and Damon snapped their heads up to see Elena step out of the bathroom in Damon's shirt and another pair of his boxers. Damon tried to push away the warm feeling he got seeing her in his clothes like that. He cleared his throat and smiled at her. "How are you feeling?"
Elena sighed. She had washed and scrubbed every inch of her body, but it didn't take away the pain. Not the physical pain, that was mostly gone. The hot water had soothed her muscles and now her body felt relaxed. She didn't feel any better though. She felt like shit. Elena walked over to her two protectors and sat down on the bed. "Exhausted."
Damon gave her a warm smile and put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. He was glad when she didn't flinch away. At least she wasn't as bad as when they had found her on the sidewalk. Her eyes were still dull, though. Her face was void of any emotion. Damon let out a sigh before bringing up the elephant in the room. "Elena, will you tell us what happened today?"
She took a deep breath. This was the part she was hoping to avoid. "Yes, I'll tell you." She had decided not to leave anything out. She would be strong throughout the whole thing and she would help her brother be strong as well. Damon grabbed her hand and held it softly for support while she told them everything that happened, starting from the second her and Klaus left the hotel from the moment they found her on the sidewalk. She didn't tell them how she had felt during any of it; she didn't want to burden them with that pain. If she showed them she was strong they would believe it. Both Damon and Jeremy let out curses in some of the worse parts of the story but never interrupted her. When she was finished, she let out a small sigh and tried her best to give them a reassuring smile, but it fell flat and never reached her eyes.
Jeremy swiftly moved from his end of the bed to hers and enveloped her in a tight hug. She flinched at first, but then remembered it was only Jeremy and then wrapped her arms around him securely. He was whispering soothing words into her ear and rocked her slowly, promising to never let her be hurt ever again.
Hugging his sister, Jeremy couldn't imagine his life without her. He had felt his heart breaking as he listened to her describe what happened to her today. As she spoke, she was detached, like she wasn't talking about herself but someone else. Jeremy knew it had taken a bigger toll on her than she was letting on. She was trying to be strong for him, but she didn't need to be. He needed to be strong for her this time, and he would. He pulled back softly and looked into her eyes. "I love you 'Lena. I'm so glad you're safe."
She gave him a small smile back and nodded fervently. "I love you too, Jer. Always." No matter what hell they had to go through, they always went through it together. They were each other's rocks and they didn't plan on ever losing each other.
Jeremy gave her a hesitant look and smiled sheepishly. "'Lena, Damon and I want to talk to you about something…" He was nervous as to how his sister would react. Did she trust Damon enough to go with him? Did she notice how much he had obviously grown to care for her?
Elena brought her eyes to Damon suspiciously and tried to gauge his reaction but came up blank. He had a perfected poker face and wasn't giving anything away. Her eyes narrowed at him and when he saw it his features softened. "What is it?" Her voice came out quietly.
Damon put his hands up much like how he had broached the topic with Jeremy and started just about the same. "I want you to hear me out, okay? I have an…idea, or an offer, whichever you prefer." He hesitated and when he saw her face relax slightly he continued. "I want you and Jeremy to come back to New York City with me." He rushed it out quickly, and cut her off before she could protest. "Think about it, Elena! You can't stay here, that much is obvious. Sure, you can keep running, but for how long? You can't run for the rest of your life, Elena. Sooner or later they're going to catch up with you. Now I know I don't know anything about you or Jeremy or your past, but… I'm in too deep now. I can't leave you two behind not knowing you'll be safe. Please." He finished in a desperate whisper.
Damon tried to read her emotions on her face, but they were completely blank. A small part inside of him started to panic, and he pushed back the feeling of rejection. Please think about it Elena. Please. His phone started to ring again and he growled. "Yes?" His tone was a bit too harsh.
"Damon? You're still coming, correct? Dinner is in a half hour, and I expect you to show up." Elijah's voice was frustrated and impatient.
"Elijah, I am so sorry. Yes, of course I'll be there on time." Shit.
"I hope so Damon. We will talk more later. See you soon." He hung up before Damon had a chance to reply. Some serious groveling was in order tonight at dinner.
Damon looked back at Elena and she seemed to be stuck in her own head. Hopefully she was considering his offer. "Elena?" She snapped her head up to him. "I need to go to this dinner, I'm sorry but I can't cancel on it. It won't take long and I should be back in about three hours." He looked over at Jeremy. "Are you guys going to be okay up here?"
Jeremy nodded. "Its fine Damon, go. You're here on business and we're getting in the way. We'll be fine."
Damon chuckled. "You're not getting in the way, I promise. Now," he spoke in his most authoritative voice, "please, neither of you leave this room or open the door for anyone other than myself." He sighed, realizing they were both probably hungry. "I'm sure you're both hungry. I'd feel more comfortable if you ordered room service now so it can arrive while I'm here, unless you'd like me to bring you both back something from dinner?" He hated sounding like an overprotective father, but he couldn't risk another incident like today.
Jeremy humorously scoffed. "Damon, there's a little peek hole in the door for a reason. You don't have to stay for the room service; I really think I can handle it." Seeing the worry in Damon's eyes he tried to work with him a little. "I'll keep the door locked at all times and check to make sure it really is room service." Damon was hesitant, and Jeremy sighed sadly. "We can't live in fear forever Damon. You've been a lot of help lately but we need to be able to take care of some things on our own, you know?"
Damon sighed and relented with a slow nod. "Alright, I'm gonna get ready. Elena?" When she met his gaze he gave her a soft smile. "You don't have to answer me right now. Take the time that I'm gone to think about it, okay? You and Jeremy can talk it out." She nodded at him and he exited to the bathroom, silently praying that she'd accept.
"Elena, I really think that we should go with Damon to New York…" Jeremy had waited until after their dinner arrived to bring up the subject. Damon had been gone for almost an hour and Elena had barely said a word. Thankfully she had eaten at least half of her dinner.
Elena didn't know what to do. Her thoughts about Damon were enough of a jumbled mess as it was. She knew she felt safe with him and that he would never hurt her. She trusted him a lot, enough to put her life in his hands, but following him to New York? She couldn't impose on him like that. He had a job, a life, probably a family. Who was she to come in and take all that away from him? He had come here on a business trip and accidently stumbled into their lives. They had roped him in and she felt guilty. Was he doing this because he felt bad for them? She chided herself for thinking that way; she knew he had grown to care about them both.
Jeremy clearly wanted to go, but he was trying to hide it. He probably just wants me to make my own decision without thinking about his opinion. She sighed. "Why?" Of course she wanted to know his opinion, he was her brother and if he was going to run with her then they would do it together, working together.
Hope sparked inside Jeremy. He tried to hide the elation in his voice as he spoke, not wanting his excitement to sway her decision only to end up with regret later. "I trust him Elena. I know you do, too. You trusted him the very first night. I know he'll protect us, and he's right. We can't keep running forever. We're so young, too young to live like this forever. I told you I would do whatever you decided, and I will go with you wherever you decide to go. I just know that going with Damon is going to be the right choice. He's been there for us, more than anyone has since mom and dad." She flinched at the mention of their parents. It hurt him to think about them, too, but what he spoke was the truth.
"It's true, Elena, and you know it. We've been running ever since the crash. We've been good at it, but we don't know what we're doing! I hate living like this and I know you feel the same way. I've kept quiet because I didn't want to make you feel bad but I won't keep quiet anymore." He ran his fingers through his hair. "We finally have a way out. Damon is giving that to us, and he's not going to hurt us." Jeremy had nothing else to say and only hoped it was enough to get his sister on his side for this.
She sighed and nodded. She knew, deep down that this was the right decision all along. She couldn't just think about herself, she had to worry about Jeremy. If Jeremy, who was fiercely protective of her, trusted Damon with their lives then Elena did, too. "Okay, we'll go with him." A huge grin spread across his face and she couldn't help but give him a soft smile in return. "But I want to talk to him about it more when he gets back. This isn't the type of thing where we can just get up and leave. When he comes in tonight, we can talk to him and work everything out, but I think we should go with him."
Jeremy brought her in for a tight hug and lay back on the bed, bringing her with him. He held her tightly and protectively against him. For the first time in two years he fell asleep knowing his sister was absolutely safe and that they were finally done running.
Damon scowled as he entered the elevator, in a foul mood from Elijah's stupid dinner. He had spent the first half of the night apologizing vehemently to Elijah for his absence and the second half of the night avoiding Rebekah's greedy eyes. For the whole night he had slapped a mask on his face pretending to be interested in everything going on around him. In truth, the only thing that had actually been on his mind was Elena's decision.
The elevator opened to his floor and he rushed to the door. Even if Elena had decided against it, he had to convince her somehow. He couldn't take no for an answer. When he entered the room directly to his left he saw a tray of mostly eaten food. It comforted him to know that even with all the stress they were both still eating. He glanced over to the bed and smiled wistfully at the brother who had his sister locked in a protective embrace. They were both asleep and they both surprisingly looked peaceful. Hopefully that meant Jeremy had convinced her to go with him…
Damon walked over to the bed and gazed at the beautiful girl in front of him. He would do anything to see her give a genuinely happy and carefree smile. He lightly stroked the face of his fingertips lightly across her unmarked cheek. He quickly pulled his hand back when he saw her stir and gave her a guilty smile when she opened her eyes to see him hovering over her. "Sorry, I uh… I didn't mean to wake you." He gave her a tiny smirk.
She smiled softly at him. "No its okay, I wanted to talk to you anyways." She tried to remove herself from her brother's grasp but it was very difficult. He seemed to have her in a death grip. She chuckled; amused that even in his sleep Jeremy was being overly protective. "Sorry, I um, I don't think I'm getting out of here."
Damon laughed quietly. "Nah, it's okay. You should stay there, I think it helps him sleep better." He nodded his head towards Jeremy's peaceful expression on his face and smiled watching Elena try to spin and see it herself. With a giggle, she gave up and just relaxed back into her previous position.
Hearing the sound of her giggle made Damon's stomach tighten. It was such a great sound and he wished he could hear it from her more often. He admired her strength. Even after a day like today she managed to giggle at the end of it. Not wanting to ruin her mood, but knowing he needed to bring it up, Damon quietly cleared his throat. "So, have you thought about my offer? I'm officially finished with my business trip, we can be out of here on the first flight tomorrow morning."
Elena's breath caught in surprise. "That soon? Damon, you haven't had any time to prepare for us. Where will we even stay? I have to find an apartment and a job and-"
He cut her off before she could finish. "Elena, I'm only going to say this once and I'm going to make it very clear so pay attention. If you and Jeremy are coming with me to New York then you're going to be staying with me. Drop your pride for once and think about yours and Jeremy's safety. This is me helping the both of you. I've gotten surprisingly attached to the both of you and if you're coming then you're coming as a guest. You don't owe me anything. The fact that I'll get to see you and Jeremy both safe everyday is all I need."
Her chest tightened and her heart sped up. Damon was really willing to do that for her and Jeremy? He really cared about them that much? She felt a tear fall down her cheek as she realized how sincere he was being. His thumb came down to gently wipe it away and she closed her eyes at his touch. Elena smiled softly then opened her eyes to meet his brilliant beautiful blue ones. "Thank you." She didn't know what else she could say to show him her gratitude. No one had ever made such a grand gesture for her before without asking anything in return.
Damon leaned down and softly kissed her on the forehead. "Don't mention it." He backed away to make another makeshift bed on the couch. He picked up any clothes lying around and cleaned up the bathroom before heading back to the couch. When he glanced over to the bed he noticed Elena was still looking at him. "Goodnight Elena." He smiled and turned off the lamp leaving them in a peaceful darkness.
"Goodnight Damon."
A/N: So what do we think? Feedback? Leave me reviews, I appreciate hearing from you guys greatly (: Do you guys like the fact that Damon is swooping in and taking her away? Was it too soon? As much as I loved this chapter I'm still nervous for your reactions, so please let me know! Next chapter, it's back to New York where we will see Caroline and Stefan again. I love them (: DONT FORGET TO REVIEW PLEASE! it helps keep me motivated to keep this story going! haha, thank you guys!