Disclaimer: Not my characters, obviously. Just playing in their world for a while.
Next up: Elijah and Klaus confront Elena about Damon's escape, Elena seeks help from Alaric's friend, and D/E encounter some interesting living arrangements. ;)
Enjoy! :)
Chapter Nine
"Elena! Are you okay?"
Caroline was at her side the minute Damon left, brushing Elena's hair back so she could inspect the wound on her neck.
"I'm fine, Care. That was a love bite compared to the last one."
"Why is there so much blood?" she asked, showing Elena her fingers, which were now stained red.
"It's just for show. He was embracing his inner artist," she explained in an effort to soothe her friend's nerves. She knelt down to check on Anna before gesturing toward the hallway. "What happened to Tyler?"
Caroline ran out to do a quick sweep of the hall and returned after a few moments, a sour look on her face. "His body's not there. Either Damon ate him, bones and all, or the big baby took off and is probably calling Elijah as we speak."
Just then, the door to the stairwell crashed open and two sets of footsteps descended at a hurried pace.
"Or he already did, and Elijah's here. With your boyfriend. Yay," Elena muttered. She grabbed the duffel she'd left outside the cell and began strapping weapons onto her body. Knife around the thigh, check. Gun at the small of her back, check. Crossbow in her hands and ready to use, check.
She'd barely finished her task when Elijah was upon them, Klaus trailing a short distance behind.
"What happened?" he demanded. He didn't shout; it wasn't his style. Elijah was at his most deadly when his voice was quiet, calm. Controlled.
Klaus stopped beside him and peered into the now-empty cell. "Bloody fucking brilliant. The bastard's gone. I guess the mighty huntress isn't so mighty after all," he snarled, glaring at Elena.
"Niklaus, be quiet. Elena, tell me everything."
She set down the crossbow but kept it close in case Klaus did anything stupid. She doubted he would cause trouble while his brother was present, but one never knew when he would lose it and snap. "I came down here to feed Damon, just like you asked. Tyler, Caroline, and Anna joined me on the off chance that things got out of hand. Everything was fine until after he'd finished the bags. He said he wanted fresh blood, then he broke the chains and attacked me." She paused to show Elijah the spot where he'd bitten her. The punctures had healed, but the drying blood remained as evidence. "After he was done chewing on me, he knocked out Caroline, broke Anna's neck, and took off. I guess Tyler's impressive screaming wasn't enough to stop him." She bent to retrieve the weapon at her feet. "Now, I'm going after his ass."
Elijah held up a hand. "Just a moment, if you don't mind. I distinctly recall Damon's restraints being spelled. How is it possible that he escaped them?"
She shrugged. "How the hell would I know? Maybe he's the vampire version of the Hulk, or maybe Tyler used the wrong chains when he locked him up."
If throwing Tyler under the bus was the price she had to pay to pull this off, she'd gladly do it. Elijah would take her word over his any day. Her boss didn't need to know that she'd swapped the chains herself when she'd visited Damon earlier that evening.
A soft groan reached their ears, and Caroline rushed over to Anna and helped her up. When the two of them joined the group in the hall, Anna was rubbing her sore neck. Elena winced in sympathy.
"Anna," Elijah greeted her. "I'm glad to see you weren't seriously harmed." He glanced at Elena for a moment before continuing. "When you and Tyler brought Damon to his cell, do you recall if Tyler tested the chains to make sure he'd chosen the correct ones to use?"
She considered his question and then gave a slight shake of her head. "No, I don't. He seemed pretty confident, but mistakes can happen, I guess."
"Indeed. Caroline, would you be so good as to take Anna upstairs while I speak with Elena?"
"Of course." Caroline shot her friend a concerned look and headed for the stairs with the young trainee in tow.
When they were out of sight, Elijah refocused his attention on Elena. "What are you planning to do?"
"Track him down. Drag him back here. Y'know, all the things I should be doing right now instead of letting him get farther away than he already has."
"Perhaps I should accompany Elena in case she's in need of assistance?" Klaus inquired, inserting himself into the conversation.
She didn't wait for Elijah to respond. "No, thanks. I did it once without your help, and I'll do it again."
Brushing past them, she didn't miss the way Klaus's hands curled into fists. She felt a small smile creep onto her face as she jogged toward the stairs. She had almost reached the top when Elijah called out to her.
"Be sure to keep me informed of your progress!"
"Will do," she answered. Don't wait up!
###
Damon leaned against a wall in the deserted alley while he waited for Elena, the rough bricks digging into his back. As the minutes ticked past, he tried to imagine how she was going to explain this one to Elijah. She was a sly one though, his huntress. If anyone could talk her way—
Wait a second. His? Where the hell had that come from?
Before he could examine it further, the click-click-click of heeled boots announced Elena's arrival. She appeared moments later, dressed like she was prepared for war, a loaded crossbow held at her side. She glanced at him briefly before checking the street to make sure she hadn't been followed. "Ready to go?" she whispered.
Unable to resist, he inched up behind her and put his mouth by her ear. "Ready when you are."
If the crossbow bolt he suddenly found biting into his chest was any indication, she wasn't amused. He took a step back, picking at the small hole the weapon had left in his shirt. "Sheesh. A little riled, are we?"
"Whatever gave you that idea?" she asked with a roll of her eyes. "Could it be the fact that I just lied to my boss's face, pinned the blame for your escape on another hunter, and am currently standing in front of someone who tried to kill me in the not-so-distant past?"
"Hey, you weren't exactly gentle with me either," he griped, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Get over yourself. I was never going to kill you."
"No, you just served me up to Elijah on a silver platter so he could do the deed himself."
She held up her hands to ward off any further bickering. "Enough. Klaus is livid, and he's probably out here somewhere snooping around, trying to find you himself. We need to go. Now," she added.
He sighed but let the argument drop. "Lead the way, O Fearless One."
###
Elena checked the address against the one Ric had given her and found it to be a match. "Looks like this is the place," she informed Damon as they both stared at the house in front of them. It was larger than the others on the block, making it stick out. It had a welcoming vibe, the siding a cheery light blue with white shutters framing the windows. The front porch was adorned with flower pots and smaller dishes containing what appeared to be a variety of herbs.
Damon poked at a massive sunflower before Elena swatted his hand away. "This isn't really my style," he groused. "Can't we go back to your place?"
"Definitely not," Elena snapped.
He chuckled at her flustered response. "Relax, princess. I'm not trying to get in your pants." He gestured around them. "This is just a little . . . much."
"You're going to have to deal with it. We don't have any other options." Ignoring his whining, she stepped forward and rang the doorbell. Moments later, the door opened to reveal a young woman with short brown hair, a kind face, and striking green eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond her years. Elena stuck out a hand as she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Elena Gilbert, a friend of Alaric Saltzman's. I need a place for my, er, friend to stay, and Ric said you might be able to help."
The woman gave Elena's hand a firm shake and studied her for a minute before nodding in understanding. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Bonnie Bennett. Alaric said you might drop by. Who's your friend?"
"This is Damon Salvatore," Elena said, gesturing toward the surly vampire lingering on the edge of the porch with a wary look on his too-handsome face. When he refused to move, she scowled and jerked her head in Bonnie's direction, mouthing, "Don't be rude."
He reluctantly came forward, giving the impression that each step caused him physical pain. Once he was close enough, he offered his hand to Bonnie with a gruff "Hey."
Surprisingly, Bonnie didn't hesitate, grasping Damon's hand much the same way she had Elena's. Considering she ran a safe house, she was probably used to encountering some unusual characters, Elena supposed. She watched the interaction closely, more for Bonnie's safety than anything else, and she noticed when a strange expression flitted over the woman's face, her friendly smile vanishing. She abruptly released Damon's hand and retreated back over the threshold.
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," she said in a voice devoid of all warmth. "You need to leave."
"What's going—" Elena started to ask, but Damon cut her off.
"She's a witch," he growled.
"Keep your voice down," Bonnie hissed. "I don't want to advertise it to the world."
"Whoa, everyone chill for a second." Elena nudged Damon away from the door before things got violent. "You touched me, too," she said, turning her attention back to Bonnie. "Why didn't you react that way to me?"
"I saw the things he's done, the darkness inside of him. With you, I could sense that you're a protector, and you fight to maintain order among your kind," Bonnie explained.
"There's more to it than that. I know it looks rough as far as Damon is concerned, but it's . . . complicated. Please let him stay here. You're our only hope." She paused, desperately searching for something to tell Bonnie that would appeal to her desire to help people. "If he's captured again, he and his brother will be killed. They're being targeted by other vampires who want to steal their family's power and position. Their parents were murdered a few years ago, and I'm trying to save them from the same fate."
The young woman stood quietly as she considered Elena's plea. Finally, she sighed, closing her eyes while she rubbed her temples. "I must be insane. Alaric's going to owe me for this one," she muttered. "You can stay, but on one condition."
"Anything," Elena agreed, relieved the witch had reconsidered.
"You have to stay with him."
"Sure, that's no . . . wait. Oh, no. No. I have a place, which I need to get back to, incidentally." She could've sworn she heard Damon chuckle behind her, and it took every ounce of her self-control not to punch him.
Bonnie shrugged. "Sorry, but that's the deal. I don't trust him not to snack on my guests, so it's going to be your job to keep watch of him."
"But I already have a job." Great, now she was being the whiny one. She could tell Bonnie wouldn't be swayed again, so the only solution was to give in. "Dammit. Alright, fine, but there had better be separate beds."
"I think you'll find the arrangements comfortable," Bonnie said with a mischievous smile. "C'mon in."
Laughter erupted from Damon, and this time, Elena whirled around and smacked him in the arm before turning to follow Bonnie into the house, grumbling the entire way.
###
"There's only one. You've got to be kidding me." Elena stared at the bed in dismay, hoping it would magically split into two. When that didn't happen, she eyed a chair situated by the window. It wouldn't be anywhere near comfortable, but she could manage.
Damon strolled past her and flopped down on top of the coverlet. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad. There's plenty of room for both of us." He patted the other side of the bed in an invitation to join him.
"Thanks, but I'll take the chair. You can have the bed," Elena said, edging toward the overstuffed recliner.
"I never pinned you for a prude," he commented, rearranging the pillows and reclining against them.
"That's because I'm not," she snapped, "but we sure as hell haven't reached the 'bed buddies' stage of whatever dysfunctional relationship is going on here."
He opened his mouth to fire back, but she raised a finger to her lips. "Quiet. I have to update Elijah before he sends out the cavalry."
"Give him my love," he answered with a saucy grin.
She turned her back on the smartass vampire and pulled out her phone, quickly dialing her boss's number. He answered on the second ring, and she bluffed her way through the barrage of questions he threw at her. "No, nothing yet. It might take a few days to track him down. He could be anywhere by now." Pause. "Yes, I'll let you know as soon I have him." Pause. "No, I'll handle it." Pause. "Will do. Bye." She ended the call and tucked the phone back in her pocket.
"Well, that sounded like an interesting chat," Damon drawled.
"Pretty much. I'm gonna see if Bonnie has any clothes I can borrow, and then I'm going to take a quick shower. You need anything before I go?"
He cocked a brow, and she held up a hand to ward off whatever lascivious thought had crossed his mind. "Forget I asked. Don't leave this room. If you do, I'll give Bonnie permission to zap your ass."
Damon made a shooing motion before settling deeper into the bed. "Go enjoy your shower. I'll just be here, fantasizing about you being all wet and—"
"Oh, for fuck's sake." She flew out of the room, letting the door close with a resounding bang. If this was what she'd have to deal with until the whole mess was over, it was going to be a bumpy ride.
