Here it is guys! The moment we've all been waiting for!
I really hope you guys like this chapter. I hope the wait has been worth it.
The Devil Inside
Katherine's Dead! The bitch is finally gone!
Now that that's settled, other business requires further attention. For one, Damon and Elena are on the out's, again. Not much else to say about that. Damon received a lovely intervention from Caroline and Stefan, again, on what to do about Elena that helped him in absolutely no way. So nothing new really.
Damon walked into the Boarding House, needing to be on his own for a bit and saw someone he thought wouldn't want to ever see him again.
Enzo was sitting on the couch with his feet propped up.
"Enzo…"
"Hello, Damon. We've got a bit of business to attend to." Enzo greeted.
Damon pointed to the corner of his own mouth, referring to the blood on the corner of Enzo's, "You missed a spot." Then he notices the body bag on the floor. Uh oh.
"God, I love a good fire." Enzo said standing in front of the fireplace. He turned to Damon, "Oh. That's so wrong, isn't it? Since you left me to burn alive in one."
"Didn't we already do this? I did end up saving your life ya know. We're even." Damon said.
Enzo laughed at Damon.
"What's in the bag?" Damon asked concerning the bag on the floor.
"More like who. Uh. Since you and I last spoke, I've done a bit of soul searching… had a trip to the barber… did a little research, which revealed to me that you killed almost every member of the Whitmore family in the years since you escaped, leaving just one alive each time to carry on the family name – producing a whole new generation of victims for you to slaughter… exactly as you said you'd do back when we were cellmates." Enzo explained.
"Well you know me… I like to keep my promises." Damon said.
"And it's occurred to me that perhaps I wrote you off too quickly. That, in fact, the Damon Salvatore I remember is alive and well. I have a present for him." Enzo unzipped the bag.
"Okay you brought me Aaron Whitmore… alive. But there's something you want, and seeing that she is nowhere near here, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that 'thing' is Charlie." Damon said snidely knowing that if Enzo knew where Charlie was he would be with her.
Enzo sighed staring at Damon in defeat. "I can't find her. I don't even know where to start looking."
"I figured as much." Damon said with a smirk.
"Why's that?" Enzo asked confused.
"Well, let's just say, Charlie has a talent for staying hidden when she doesn't want to be found." Damon explained.
Enzo paused before asking, "Have you talked to her? Ya know, since you found out I was alive?"
"I have actually. Just talked to her yesterday in fact. I kept my promise though, I didn't tell her you were alive. But I did tell her Katherine was dying, ya know just in case Charlie wanted to add to Katherine's misery. But she declined saying and I quote, 'That evil, psychotic, bitch isn't worth the brain cells I would lose talking to her.'" Damon quoted his sister.
Enzo smiled, remembering the bitterness Charlie had towards Katherine. "Wait, I thought Katherine was dead?" He asked confused.
"Long story short, she wasn't but now she is." Damon said.
"I see. Well, here's my offer, my forgiveness, and Aaron Whitmore, and in exchange you either tell me where Charlie is, or you call her and tell her to come here. So what do you say?" Enzo suggested.
Damon weighed the pros and cons of the situation until he came to a decision. "Deal."
"As much as I've enjoyed your quality bourbon, I feel confident our next drink will taste better with young Aaron's dying screams ringing in our ears. And your final act of revenge will bring both us and Charlie closure and a new beginning." Enzo said ready to get to the killing part.
"I'm just curious, but do you ask all of your friends to sign a deal by killing someone over drinks?" Damon asked.
"His grandfather split our eyes open with a scalpel. You've taken it out on everyone else in the Whitmore family. I thought you'd want this." Enzo said confused.
"Would you believe he's a friend of a friend?" Damon suggested.
"No because that would force me to believe you've gone soft, when you and I both know that your first impulse when I presented him to you was to rip out his throat. Show me my old friend is still in there someplace." Enzo said.
Damon looked down at Aaron in contemplation.
"End this… for both of us. For Charlie." Enzo said.
"You're right." Damon said looking to Enzo. "My first impulse when you opened that bag was to rip his throat out like I've done to the rest of the Whitmore's. But I can't, for two reasons. 1.) Being that Elena would be extremely upset with me and we are already on the outs. I don't want to give her another reason to walk away. And 2.) Because Charlie deserves this. Charlie's the one who should end the Whitmore line, whether she chooses to or not, I'm not sure. But I'm going to give her the option. Between the three of us, she gets to decide his fate." Damon explained.
Enzo wasn't happy with the result. He wanted to end Aaron Whitmore's life now. But Damon was right. Charlie should be the one to decide what happens to him. She should get to choose. Plus, that involves her coming to town, and ultimately, Enzo will get to see her again. This will force Damon to live up to his end of the agreement to get Charlie here.
"So what are you going to do with him? Keep him here until she decides what to do?" Enzo asked.
"No. I'm going to let him go. And if Charlie chooses to kill him. That will be her decision, and she can seek him out. She also has a talent for finding things." Damon said.
And with that, Damon and Enzo watched the last Whitmore potentially leave their lives forever.
Damon was calling Charlie. He needed to get her here to choose Aaron Whitmore's fate. She also needed to know that Enzo was alive.
"Hello?" Charlie answered after a few rings.
Enzo's body froze just from hearing her voice, hearing the voice of the woman who kept him holding on all these years. While in captivity, he swore he could hear her calming him, telling him everything was gonna be okay, singing to him.
"Hey sis, how's it going?" Damon asked her.
"Fine." Charlie answered simply.
"So, what have you been up to?" Damon asked dancing around the subject.
"Damon, if you are calling me to tell me that Katherine didn't actually die, I will reach through this phone and strangle you." Charlie threatened.
Enzo had to hold back a laugh whereas Damon chuckled at her. "No, no, she's dead, buried her myself. Listen, you need to come home."
"Why? What's wrong?" Charlie asked jumping to the worst conclusion.
"Just get here." Damon insisted.
"Damon, tell me what's going on." Charlie demanded. They could hear her moving around through the phone.
Damon looked over at Enzo. "Let's just say, you're going to want to see this."
"Could you be more cryptic please? I just love not knowing what the hell you're talking about." Charlie sassed.
"When can you be here?" Damon pushed.
"20 minutes, give or take." Charlie said.
"You're that close?" Damon asked, surprised she wasn't in Italy or something.
"Well I guess it was a good thing considering I can't leave you alone for two seconds without getting into trouble." Charlie said.
"Harsh. Alright. Get here as soon as you can. Be safe." Damon said.
"I will. Don't piss anyone else off until I get there." Charlie said and hung up the phone.
"She's still as smart as ever." Enzo commented more to himself with a fond smile.
"She always has been. She's the genius in our family." Damon said kindly of his sister.
They were quiet for a few seconds until Enzo asked, "Has she changed much over the years?"
"Not really." Damon said sitting down on the couch, Enzo sitting in the chair ready to listen. "She's still her crazy, fun, adventurous self. She's just as she's always been… until she's reminded of you or what happened, which had been happening a lot before she left. She usually just kind of goes into her own mind for a day or two, but then she's back, like nothing ever happened." Damon told him of Charlie's behavior.
"What pushed her to leave?" Enzo asked.
"She wanted something normal. She wanted routine. So she tried to go to Whitmore with Elena and Caroline to live the 'college experience.' She thought she would be able to handle it. But Elena said ever since they got there, she hadn't been herself. She would always stare off into space like she wasn't completely there. The night she left, a witch had knocked her out. She woke up a few hours later and told me, 'I saw him.' Then she just… broke. She's usually so in control of her emotions, but that night, it was like she was losing you all over again. She never moved on from you Enzo." Damon explained to his friend.
Enzo was lost in his thoughts about what he had heard. That she still thought about him, that she hadn't moved on. It's not like he wanted her to be miserable all these years. But knowing she still loved him sent warmth through his dead heart.
"Damon!" Charlie called as she walked in the front door of the Boarding House, surprising the vampires and taking them from their own thoughts.
Enzo flashed out of the room right before Charlie entered the living room.
"Hey." Charlie said and Damon stood up. "What was so important that I had to race here?"
"Charlie." She heard a deep British voice say from behind her.
Charlie froze hearing his voice, a voice she thought she'd never hear again. She would have thought it was her imagination if Damon hadn't been staring behind her with a sly smile on his face.
Charlie turned as slowly as possible before she was fully facing the supposed dead love of her life.
"Enzo?" She asked tears filling her eyes.
"Hello Sweetheart." Enzo said staring right back at her, tears filling his own eyes. He had always dreamed about the day he would see her again, and even now he couldn't believe it was happening. She was even more beautiful than the last time he saw her, which seemed impossible.
Charlie slowly walked towards Enzo, afraid that any sudden movement and he would disappear. She stopped right in front of him, just staring. Then she did something so completely 'Charlie,' it didn't even surprise Enzo, although it shocked Damon.
She slapped him.
Enzo's head whipped to the side from the force. Wow, she knows how to hit. A smile grew on his face as he turned his head back to Charlie, chuckling under his breath. "I missed you too Gorgeous."
When he didn't disappear like she thought he would Charlie's eyes grew wide. He's here. He's really here.
Charlie broke down in tears and Enzo wrapped his arms around her tightly, happy to have her in his arms again. Neither one of them noticed Damon leave the room with a smile on his face to give them some privacy.
Charlie clutched onto him, as if he were the one thing keeping her alive. Enzo returned the sentiment, a few tears making their way down his face.
He pulled back to look into her eyes before threading his fingers through her hair and pressing his lips firmly onto hers with Charlie instantly responding.
The two kissed for what seemed like seconds but was actually several minutes. Neither Charlie nor Enzo could keep the smiles from their faces.
When they were finally able to pull back, Charlie looked up at Enzo and asked, "How in the hell are you alive?"
Enzo, still smiling answered, "Someone came in before the fire reached the cage. I've been with the Augustines ever since."
"They're still around? And you've been with them all this time? How did you not go insane?" Charlie asked in disbelief.
"Because of you. I dreamed of the day I'd find you again, and that kept me going." Enzo said to her.
More tears filled Charlie's eyes and she laid her forehead against his. "I never wanted to leave you." She said quietly.
"I know Sweetheart. It's not your fault. It doesn't even matter now." Enzo stressed wanting her to know it wasn't her fault she couldn't get him out.
"I've missed you so much. I thought you were dead." Charlie said sincerely.
"I've missed you too. I'm not dead. I'm here, I'm alive, and I'm more in love with you now than I ever have been." Enzo said looking into her eyes with so much sincerity Charlie almost drowned in it.
"I love you too. I always have." Charlie said and kissed him again.
The couple lost track of time, but were brought back to reality by a throat clearing behind them. The two separated reluctantly and turned towards the culprit.
Damon smirked at the two, "Not that I'm not happy for you two and all, but A.) That's my sister, and B.) We have other issues to attend to."
"What's going on?" Charlie turned her body towards Damon but Enzo refused to let her go.
"Revenge." Enzo whispered in her ear, loving the shiver it caused to rush down her spine.
"Tell me more." Charlie said excitedly.
"Aaron Whitmore is the last of the Whitmore's, and as you know, I've been killing off the family for generations. It's your turn to make the choice." Damon said. "You can either, get revenge and kill him, or, let him live the rest of his life away from here and away from vampires." A small part of him hoped she would choose to let him live, so he wouldn't get blamed by Elena for this. Yeah, he probably could have saved Aaron. Sent him on his merry way without offering revenge to Charlie, but who was he to take that away from his sister. Plus, he knew when it came to revenge, she was the best of the best, she won't pass this up. So he basically signed Aaron's death certificate when he made the offer to Charlie
"Do you really have to ask that?" Charlie said incredulously. "Where is he? Let's end this one and for all and move on!"
"That's my girl!" Enzo said and pressed his lips to her cheek. He was standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her, not wanting to let go.
"So where is he?" Charlie asked ready to kill the last Whitmore.
"He's not here." Damon said almost shyly.
"Well, he was, but Damon let him go." Enzo teased.
"What? Why? He was here and you let him go?" Charlie asked surprised and kind of ticked off that she'd have to go chasing after him.
"I know, I know. Bad move on my part. However, I have some things to do right now. I'm still on the outs with Elena. You two catch up and plan you're revenge strategies, while I go to the party celebrating Katherine's death." Damon said and grabbed his jacket to walk out the door.
"Should I call you after I find Aaron, or after I kill him?" She asked her brother.
"After you kill him. I don't need to know more about his impending fate than I already do." Damon said and walked towards the door. He looked back and saw Charlie and Enzo staring at each other smiling with loving looks in their eyes. For the first time since that fateful day, he couldn't see the underlying pain in her eyes, she looked simply, happy. And he was happy that she was happy. "It's good to have you back sis." Damon said to her.
She turned to him still smiling. "Good to be back."
Damon walked out the door leaving the happy couple to themselves.
Charlie and Enzo were sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, simply enjoying being together after all this time. They sat against the arm of the couch, her back to his chest and his arms around her. Charlie told him what she had been up to the last 50 years, and Enzo told her the dreams he would have that he swore were real. Where she would be there, encouraging him to just hold on a little longer.
"You know," Enzo said fitting his chin into the crook of her neck, "before you were brought in to the Augustines, Damon told me about you. He told me about a loving and caring girl with a bit of a dark side. He said I'd like her, he had no idea. He also said, she had this saying she always told him. 'There's always something on the other side of misery-"
"You just have to fight for it." She said remembering what she told both Damon and Stefan.
"You were that thing I was fighting for." He whispered into her ear.
She turned around to face him and looked into his eyes seeing absolute truth in what he had said, not that she doubted him.
She pressed her lips to his and he returned it immediately. Enzo started to trail kisses down her neck when her phone rang causing both of them to groan.
"Do you have to answer it?" Enzo whined.
"Unfortunately." She grumbled and grabbed for her phone.
"What?" She answered impatiently.
"Have you killed Aaron Whitmore yet?" Damon asked. Elena had just ended it completely with him and he needed something to take his mind off of it. What better way than murder?
"No. Why?" Charlie asked curiously.
"I have an idea." Damon told her.
Enzo and Charlie looked at each other smirking.
"Hey. You alright?" Aaron Whitmore said getting out of his car and approaching the man lying in the road.
Enzo sat up suddenly frightening Aaron, "Never better. We've be waiting for you." Damon appeared behind Aaron. "Damon's been teaching me a little game."
"Who do you think taught him?" Charlie asked appearing out of nowhere and scaring Aaron.
Enzo smiled at his girlfriend, "Sorry, love." He turned back to Aaron. "See, he assured me you'd be on this road, heading out of town."
"I thought that you were going to let me go?" Aaron asked Damon.
"I tried. But the three of us came to a different decision." Damon explained.
"Does Elena know that you're here?" Aaron asked trying to get out.
"She's the reason that I'm here! No, scratch that, I'm the reason I'm here."
"What do you want Damon?"
"I want the same thing you want, Aaron. Go back in time, fix the past, get someone back I've lost." Damon said circling Aaron.
"Everyone I've lost was because of you. Who murdered my entire family? YOU!" Aaron said.
"Justifiably." Enzo and Charlie said at the same time.
"Either way, I did it. I tore them apart. I liked the sounds they made because I realized they deserved it. Like you…"
"Elena was too good for you." Aaron said sternly.
"I used to think that. Yeah. I had to be better to deserve her love, or she had to be worse to accept mine… I'd lay in the middle of the road, looking up at the stars and having conversations with people like you, trying to convince myself that killing them was a bad instinct and that sparing their lives was the right thing to do." Damon said circling Aaron. "Elena and I don't work. We're too different. We have too different views of right and wrong. I couldn't change to be better for her, and she shouldn't change to be bad for me. Take Charlie and Enzo over here for instance." Damon said and pointed to the two. "They are perfect for each other. They have the same views and morals, both loyal to their loved ones but with a dark and murderous edge. They don't have to change to make the other one happy; they are simply… themselves, just together."
"So what did you do Damon? Did you kill that voices that tried to change you?" Aaron asked.
"It doesn't matter. The point is, I was conflicted. Right now, in this very moment, I am crystal clear. You see Elena thinks I'm a monster. You know what? She's right." Damon said. "There's just one thing left to decide, me or Charlie?" Damon said and looked at his sister.
Aaron looked confused but Charlie knew what he was talking about.
"Hey, this is your revenge plan. I got mine on the first Dr. Whitmore. Finish it like you always wanted to." Charlie said.
Damon extracted his fangs and his face turned into that of what he was, a monster. Then he sunk his fangs into Aaron Whitmore finally killing the Whitmore line.
Enzo wrapped his arm around Charlie's waist, bringing her closer to his body. "Now that's the Damon Salvatore I remember."
Yay! I really hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. There's still a lot more Charzo to come.
Please review and let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading! :)
