Katherine strolled into the bathroom, totally ignoring the fighting and yelling from the bedroom. She was looking for a comb to untangle her long hair. She should have grabbed one from Stefan's room. He spent hours on his hair!
But she had heard all the commotion and thought Klaus had shown up based on how loud things had gotten. She rooted around in the drawers and finally pulled out a comb. Not much, but it would have to do. She started carefully pulling it through her tangles.
She looked around the room as she combed and saw a full tub of water and the remains of bubble bath curling around the edges of the water. She raised her eyebrows in curiosity and scanned more of the room. There were two towels tossed in a pile on the floor and beside the tub was Elena's purple bra and lacy underwear.
Hmm she thought to herself smiling. Then her mouth fell open as she saw a pair of very dark denim soaking wet in the corner. Why on earth would Damon's jeans be soaked? It hadn't been raining. She would have heard that even from in the tomb.
Katherine glanced back into the bedroom. Elena sounded like she had gotten between them again and had got them to stop fighting and focus on what they needed to do, which was get away from Klaus. She could still hear them arguing in the other room; definitely measuring their...well...she knew. She was happy to not be in the middle of that anymore.
She turned back to the jeans and picked them up. Yes they were soaked. What had happened here? she wondered. She continued to pull the comb through her hair, but the tangles were not coming out. It sounded like they had finally figured out what to do and were leaving. She didn't want to miss that. She had plans of her own...
She turned away from the doorway checking to see if anyone was looking and carefully pulled the moonstone out of her black lacy bra. She smirked to herself remembering how she had gotten it...
She had startled awake in the tomb hearing screaming and seeing someone fully on fire slam into the back wall. Stefan was stomping to the back of the tomb and grabbed the person up and dragged them back with him.
It was the wolf. She watched Stefan scream and punch him in the face. Stefan looked like he was going to kill him he was so furious. She saw the bullets imbedded in her stomach and started taking them out one by one. As she did so she snuck a look around the crypt.
Damon had his arms wrapped around Elena who looked like she was wearing nothing but his jacket. Her legs were covered in bruises and blood and she was shivering. She saw the man Alaric, Isobel's husband walking to the doorway.
Then Katherine drew in a huge breath as she spotted Elijah standing alone by the far wall. Oh God. How had he found them and her! Klaus wanted her dead for running all those years ago. Maybe he sent his brother to kill her!
She heard cracking of bones and saw Brody reaching for the moonstone. She thought it was long gone after Jeremy threw it out of the tomb when she had grabbed him. But there it was... another thing she knew Klaus needed to break the curse.
She watched Stefan wrench it from Brody's grasp and tuck it in his back jean pocket. That would come in handy, she thought. She needed to get the stone. She needed something to trade to Klaus for her freedom.
Then her mind brought her forward again once Damon and Elena had left after she had killed the wolf with Stefan's help. Elijah had left to go find his witches to get them out of the tomb and Stefan had just walked by her ignoring her. She watched him walk slowly to the stone slab in the back of the tomb and lay down.
Then she got the brilliant idea of getting into his head and giving him a dream. It was all a distraction. As she watched his eyes flutter and his heart pound at what she was making him do to her in his dream, she silently had crept towards him and slipped her hand carefully into his jean pocket and stole the moonstone!
She vamp sped to her spot by the wall just in time for him to realize what she was doing to him and startle awake. But she had her precious stone and he had no idea!
She smiled to herself tucking it back into her bra and walking out of the bathroom. Everyone had calmed down some and wasn't arguing anymore. She just stood in the doorway hoping they were ready to leave and finally done deciding who was better for that whiny human.
Stefan was sprawled out on Damon's bed she saw, probably from Damon throwing him there. He was silent and just sat there his head down. She wondered what had happened but at the same time, she didn't care. It didn't affect her. Their high school drama with her doppelganger was so beneath her. Damon, she could not see anywhere and Elena was standing quietly by the bed.
Elena walked slowly closer to him. She knew he was so upset and probably not all at them but she could see the hurt all over his face. He was never a man to hide his feelings that much. That was one of the things she fell in love with about him; his ability to be vulnerable and in touch with his feelings.
She felt her heart ache as she looked at him. She had no idea what to do. She did not know if he was more mad at her or sad or scared. He must be feeling so many things... after everything. When she had left the crypt with Damon, even then he seemed to be very withdrawn from her. Like he was not wanting her to be there for him to help him heal.
She wanted him to be there for her too. She had been longing to be in his arms since the moment that she couldn't be. She needed him. If there was ever danger around, he was there for her, his arms always already open to hold her and comfort her. He would listen to her talk and share her fears till all hours of the night and support her whatever she would decide to do.
It felt like what they had survived physically had actually killed everything else that made them who they were as a couple. Brody had told Stefan that he didn't deserve her love so he was going to take it.
A mere few seconds after that she had been confronted with her feelings for Damon as the wolf punched him again and again demanding to know if she loved him. She had not stopped to think of what that must have looked like to Stefan. Stefan saw her crying and holding his brother's bloody, beaten body and sobbing that she loved him.
And she had moaned Damon's name as he fed on her, she remembered. No wonder he was so detached. How could she take that back? Or could she?
She watched him follow her with his eyes as she sat down on the bed, the mattress sinking down beside him and she was just silently looking at him. He sat up more and she tilted his chin up and looked deeply into his eyes as tears welled up in her own. "I'm so glad you are okay." She sniffled, tentatively resting her head on his shoulder. She had no idea what he needed right now and she was scared to hurt him more. It was almost like in the course of one day, she knew the other Salvatore better, if that was even possible.
He didn't resist but was startled by her words. He was as fucking far from okay as he could be. He felt her wind her arm around his and squeeze it gently. His body jerked because her arm had rubbed against his fatal bite. She backed up instantly because of his reaction and he wanted to take it back. It must look like he was resisting being close to her when that was not it at all.
She felt him stiffen as she put her arm around his and she backed up quickly completely shocked at his response to her. She need to feel his arms around her. They needed to fix this and not let the wolf win. Maybe then the nagging hunger she was feeling for Damon would go away. She absolutely could not give in to that now and hurt Stefan more. He was already so fragile and so broken. But so was she and she was longing to feel safe.
Stefan looked up seeing her pull away and he stumbled over his words, trying to tell her that he didn't mean it. "Elena, I'm sorry, I um.." He had no idea how to explain without telling her about his damn death sentence. He did want to hold her and tell her he was so glad she was safe. He was relieved Klaus hadn't found her yet. He didn't know what he would have done if he had been too late.
She was shaking her head at him and put her finger against his lips and she felt him tremble at her touch. "It's okay Stefan. Don't worry about it. You have been through so much. I'll be okay." She bit the inside of her lip and looked down as she said that last sentence. She was lying to herself again. But he had enough to deal with it seemed so she would just respect him and give him space.
He forced a smile at her and tugged again on his sleeve to make sure the bite was covered. He stood up and suddenly felt the room spin for a moment. He felt her grab at him so he wouldn't fall. He was lightheaded and chilled and hot, all at the same time. Putting one arm over her shoulder steadying himself, he stood back up.
He had no idea what a werewolf bite would do. He had heard Katherine listing all possible symptoms to him; dizziness, fever, bloodlust, hallucinations. He nearly fell back down as it hit him more and more what he was ahead for him.
He saw Elena's puzzled expression as he almost fell over. He wanted to tell her. He hated ever lying to her about anything. But she had been through so much. He remembered Damon's words to him when he was tied up and ready to die to save her. He could not give her another grave to mourn. He could not make her face more loss.
He looked back into her eyes as she stood beside him. She looked just as confused as he was at what to do to help him. He needed to get out of there. If he looked into her beautiful brown eyes for much longer he would pour out his secret. He could not do that to her. He detached himself from her arms and excused himself saying he wanted to grab some clothes and he would meet them at the car.
Damon had just stepped back in the room as Stefan had said that and he let him by without a word. Stefan closed the door a bit too loudly behind him and was gone. There was definitely something up with his brother. After he had raged on him for being in bed with Elena, he figured that Stefan would claim her right back from him. At the very least he would not let her out of his sight after what he had watched her go through in the tomb. He had been apart from her almost all day and if it had been him he would have held onto her and never let go.
Katherine looked around and with a glance back and forth at Damon and Elena she strode across the room and followed Stefan. She wondered why Stefan did not tell Elena about his wolf bite. Had she chosen his brother? Had they broken up? Elena sure was not acting like she expected her too. How much had she missed when she had been killed over and over before?
Elena watched him go. What had happened? Why had he pulled away from her, cringed at her touch and acted like he did not want her to help him? What was wrong with him? Was he so consumed with guilt at what had happened to her that he didn't believe he was worth anything to her? Or was he aware she had feelings for Damon? Or did he not believe he could protect her anymore? She had so many questions and no answers.
She just sunk back down onto the bed, falling back, her head against the pillows and she stared at the ceiling.
