Chapter 7

Elena

Elena was shaking now. Terrified. It had been about ten minutes since she called Stefan and no one had interrupted the darkness except for the shape, which was just coming over the top of the hill. He only had to come down the hill and cross the gently trickling stream that ran down the left hand side of Elena's car.

Elena was desperately trying to think of something to protect herself.

Her breathing was nearing hyperventilation. She grabbed the paper bag that contained Stefan's items and tipped it upside down; readying it to help steady her breathing.

But then she saw a purple bottle. Lavender shower gel, Damon had slipped it in beside the green honey bottle she had picked for Stefan. She remembered his words...

"Oh, I'd get the Lavender actually; it's supposed to protect you against dark spirits so it might help you."

Elena sighed and gave a little whine. She couldn't believe she was about to do this, and she definitely wasn't happy about ruining her favourite jeans.

She unclipped the lid of the Gel and squirted it all over her. Her trousers, her top and her hair, she made sure she was covered head to toe. She made sure she left a little in the bottle to squeeze at her attacker.

She half moaned half laughed.

"You didn't just squirt shower gel all over you as a weapon against a Kitsune...you idiot!" She was laughing her head off, she felt as if she had gone so far into fear that she just had to laugh it out.

'Elena, can you hear me?' Elena heard Damon's voice ring in her head and it stopped her laughing almost as quick as it had started.

'Damon! I need help! Did Stefan call you?' she sent back.

'Yes. He's here with me. We're in the car but he forgot to ask where you were like a major...' Damon started but Elena interrupted.

'Like a majorly nervous boyfriend worrying about his in trouble again girlfriend' she wouldn't listen to him blame this on Stefan.

'Yes well, if that's what you want to call it. Where are you?" His voice asked slightly sarcastic?

'I'm on the old wood lane heading into Fell's church. The road you go down to get to the grocery store' She replied 'But Damon, don't let Stefan come with you to get me.'

As she expected, Damon turned it into something it wasn't.

"Okay princess, if you want it to be just you and me that can be arranged any time. But is now the best time you think to ask?"

"Damon, I mean do not bring him while there are Kitsune around! He could get killed!" I sent back angrily.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll use that excuse for you. See you in ten ticks."

"Damon I don't have ten ticks! The Kitsune is getting closer, he's seen me."

"It was only a figure of speech, sweetie." Came a smug voice from next to her and Elena screamed aloud before she could help herself.

"Damon! You scared the god damn hell out of me...again!" Elena yelled, and then she remembered the Shower Gel.

He regarded her and smiled a little, biting his cheeks to refrain from laughing.

"I was running out of options!" Elena gritted her teeth at him, almost daring him to laugh; she sent a glare to him.

"Well, at least you listen to some things I say!"He burst into laughter and then he settled his face into a simple smile, still amused "It was true, what I said. Lavender does protect from dark spirits...it was good thinking, just not how I ever expected Elena Gilbert to look like." He smiled, winked and then he told her to get out of the car.

"What? You want me to go out into the night with that thing getting closer by the second, sorry Damon but I asked to be saved not used as bait!" Elena muttered moodily. To be quite honest she was sick of monsters hunting her every night. All she'd wanted was to go home and spend a quiet evening with Stefan, hopefully talk with each other about their time apart. Stefan was keen to hear what had led to them saving him.

"No Elena. I want you to get out so that I can move over and drive" Damon raised his eyebrows in a 'do-you-have-to-be-so-dramatic?' way.

"Oh. Well why you didn't explain clearer!" She moaned and climbed quickly out of the car to run around to the passenger side.

Damon started the exhaust and pushed the foot pedal hard, speeding down the road. Elena watched as the Kitsune started to head toward them with great speed at the sight of the headlights.

"It's coming Damon!" Elena cried.

He pushed his foot on the brake hard and something thudded into the back of the car, Elena gave a scream.

He was out of the car at vampire speed and after five minutes of silence Elena climbed out too.

"Damon?" she called into the night. It was pitch black towards the back of the car and she had to feel for the end of the vehicle. Silence.

"Ssssh!" came a voice from the trees.

"Damon, please tell me that's you." Elena asked, wondering what she would do if it wasn't him.

The trees ruffled heavily and footsteps echoed, an owl tooted giving the night even more supernatural pull over Elena.

"Damon!" she whispered the lightest she could, she barely dared to breathe.

More leaves crunching under someone's footsteps. The sound of someone being dragged along the ground followed someone else's ragged mutterings.

Elena felt as if she should run. But she couldn't make herself do it; she couldn't leave Damon just to save herself; she didn't even know that it wasn't Damon coming through the trees.

A figure rushed through the slight opening; Elena gasped trying to make the shape out.

"Elena. Open the boot." Damon's voice came, Elena would have said he sounded out of breath, but she knew that was impossible for a vampire.

"Damon where is it?" Elena gulped not daring to say 'Kitsune'.

"It will be in the car when you open the damn boot!" His voice snaked at her, again it sounded wheezy.

She fiddled with the keys and tried to gain control of her nerves.

After feeling around for the key hole of the boot she unlocked it and lifted it easily.

The car light came on and she got a full view of Damon.

He was sheet white and had a large gash down his cheek. Blood was pouring from the deep cut. He was heaving a large Kitsune into the boot.

It wasn't Misao or Shinichi as she had feared. It was a new Kitsune but he looked just as cruel. His entire body was covered with black fur and he had to large pointy ears and six tails. Instead of his hair being tipped with red like Shinichi's it was tipped with fluorescent green, like the woods surrounding them only more shocking and vibrant.

Not caring to regard the Kitsune for much longer, Elena looked back to Damon who was clutching his chest and wheezing again.

'This is wrong. Vampires shouldn't wheeze' Elena thought to herself, grabbing Damon.

He collapsed into her arms and removing his hand from his chest to reveal more blood, trickling like a little stream.

"Damon!" Elena screamed, dragging him to the passenger seat of the car and heaving him into the car.

"It's okay, I'll start to heal soon" he said, finally managing to hold his own weight and sit back in the car chair; but he didn't sound so convinced.

Elena, shaken as she was realised the urgency of Damon's injuries. She charged around to the other side of the car and slipped the key easily into the exhaust, she revved the engine a little just to get it going. She felt a little nervous at the thought of having a knocked out Kitsune in her boot.

Damon couldn't hide the next gasp of his pain and Elena could see that his shirt couldn't absorb any more Blood.

She sighed and feeling totally disloyal to Stefan, yet almost anticipating the sweet feeling of Damon taking her blood; she whispered..."Take some".