Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.

Note: Previously, in "Insanity in Love," Elisabetta and Stefan arrive to assist Elena in her quest to set Damon free. Meanwhile, Guiseppe visits Damon in Isolation and tells him that Elisabetta's efforts to save him are in vain.

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Mystic Falls Psychiatric Hospital – Next Day...

Elena had a determined look on her face as she walked into the facility. She had gotten a newfound sense of hope that she would save Damon from this horrible place. Once that was accomplished, she planned to leave Mystic Falls with him and go to a place where they could live in peace. The destination itself was still up in the air, but she figured they'd discuss that once Elisabetta won the case.

Brady smiled at her as she approached him and said, "Hello, Elena. Here to see your favorite patient?"

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Brady, I'm here to see Damon. Just because he's in Isolation doesn't mean that I can't keep up with his sessions, right? Klaus hired me to do a job and I'm going to keep doing it."

Keep it up, Elena, her mind told her. Just make them believe that you're here for your regular sessions. Hopefully, your true intentions won't be found out. You can't afford to screw this up. Not when Damon is counting on you to get him out of this hell hole.

Brady nodded and led her into Isolation. As she followed him, Elena felt her heart hammer in her chest. She hoped to God that she'd be able to fool Klaus into thinking that she and Damon had a professional relationship to disguise the more romantic one that they were just embarking on. When they reached the room, Brady used his key card and let Elena in, telling her that he'd be just outside and to let him when she was done.

Nodding, Elena walked into the room, where she saw Damon looking at her and smiling.

"Hey, angel," he said. "I missed you."

Elena returned his smile. "Believe me, the feeling is mutual. I have good news. Your mother has this really good lawyer and, with any luck, you'll be able to live among sane people again." She saw his smile fade then. "What's wrong?"

"You may have a bit of a complication," said Damon. "My dad came to see me last night."

Elena blinked. Shit, this was unexpected. "What did he say?"

"He knew about Mom's plan," said Damon. "He said that she's wasting her time, and that I don't deserve to be in society."

"Bullshit," said Elena. "I know for a fact that you do deserve to be in society, Damon. While what you did was wrong, you had no control over your actions." She went over to the bed and sat down, running her fingers through his hair. "We'll beat this, Damon, I promise you. I love you, so much."

Damon smiled. "I love you too, angel." His smile faded again. "You know, not only do you have my father as your adversary, but you also have to deal with Klaus. Sooner or later, he's going to figure out that our relationship isn't professional."

"I know," said Elena. "But, I don't care about that. I only care about you." She leaned in and kissed him. "Everything is going to be all right, Damon. I won't let anything stand in the way of freeing you."

1 Hour Later...

After her visit with Damon ended, Elena walked out of Isolation with Brady. When they were about half way to the reception desk, Elena saw Klaus standing there. Shit, now what? Just stay calm. Maybe this isn't what you think it is.

"Ah, Elena, just the person I wanted to see."

Elena blinked. "What's going on, Klaus? I'm just about to leave. Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"No, I'm afraid it can't," said Klaus. "I want to speak with you." He looked toward Brady. "Privately."

Elena ignored her pounding heart as Brady walked away. Klaus then motioned for Elena to follow him and they went to his office. Elena bit her lip as she walked in and sat in the chair across from the desk. She hoped that he hadn't called her here to tell her that he knew about her relationship with Damon.

"What did you need to see me about?" Elena tried to disguise the nervousness in her voice, even though she was failing miserably.

"It's about Damon."

His reply made Elena even more nervous. Great, he knows. Shit, and just when things couldn't get more complicated.

Klaus cleared his throat. "I've spoken with his father and he thinks that Damon doesn't deserve to be released back into society."

Elena bit her lip, wondering how she could respond to this without sounding like a protective lover, even though that's what she was at the moment. Finally, she exhaled and decided to try and speak as frankly as she could, as well as try to conceal her emotions.

"What if he's wrong?" she said. "What if Damon can be released? In my sessions with him, he's just as sane as any other person you'd meet. He's articulate and well-mannered." Not to mention he's a great kisser and knows how to pleasure a woman, her thoughts added.

"That's a matter of opinion, Elena," said Klaus. "But, Mr. Salvatore seems to be quite adamant about Damon remaining where he can be monitored and receive treatment for his condition."

Sounds more like he wants to torture Damon, Elena thought. And what's worse, Klaus seems to agree with him. I just hope Elisabetta's lawyer is as good as Stefan claims he is. Otherwise, we're really in deep shit here.

"I may not know Damon's father, but this sounds like abuse." Subtle, Elena, real subtle.

"Abuse?" said Klaus. "The man only wants what's right for his son. After all, he did threaten to kill his brother and himself. Surely, you can't blame him for protecting his family."

Elena was tempted to say, "Which is bullshit, if you ask me," but stopped herself, knowing that if she did, Klaus would really suspect something.

"Klaus, you're going to be a father, right?"

"Yes, any time now," he replied. "Why?"

"Suppose one day, your son or daughter does something that he or she had no control over, like Damon did, you wouldn't lock him or her up and throw away the key, right?" said Elena. "You would do everything in your power to prevent that, right? Obviously, Damon's father doesn't want to do that. He'd much rather let Damon rot in here than accept him for who he is." Elena, shut up, you're going to give yourself away. You were doing so well. Now, Klaus is really going to know about you and Damon. Why not just broadcast it over the intercom while you're at it?

Klaus was about to answer her when his cell phone rang. He looked at the ID and saw Caroline's number on it. "Hold that thought, Elena. I have to take this."

Elena nodded and Klaus answered his phone. "Caroline? What's wrong, love?"

"I'm in the hospital. I was shopping and I had this really bad pain. I thought it was nothing at first, just some indigestion, but it got worse, so I called Rebekah and had her take me to the emergency room, and..."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, darling," said Klaus. "I'm leaving the office now. Have you seen a doctor while you were there?"

"Yes," said Caroline. "He said that the umbilical cord is wrapping around the baby's neck and that I need a C-section or he'll die."

"Hang tight, Caroline, I'm on my way," said Klaus. "I love you, and we'll get through this, I promise." He hung up and looked at Elena. "I'd hate to cut this short, but Caroline needs me. She went into labor and my sister took her to the emergency room."

"You don't have to explain," said Elena. "Go to your wife."

Klaus nodded and left the office. Once he was gone, Elena sighed in relief. She almost gave herself away, but she lucked out with the phone call. Shit, if Caroline hadn't called when she did, chances are I would've blown my cover.

Note: Damn, that was close, wasn't it? Fear not, dear readers, your benevolent author threw in that twist with Caroline to prevent Klaus from discovering that Damon and Elena's relationship was less than professional. Stay tuned!

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