I do not own the Vampire Diaries. The CW and L.J. Smith do. No copyright infringement is intended. Sorry for any grammar mistakes. Thank you for reading. Enjoy!
Damon felt like he couldn't win, though, he would not say this aloud to anyone. How the hell were they going to deal with all of them, especially Jerome and his crowd of toadies? He was really going to have to think hard about this. He wrote down all the doppels names and wrote down what they were all like. He sighed with frustration, who was he kidding trying to be like Napoleon, who conducted his battle plans in a sandbox. Any wrong move could kill them all, and he wasn't going to be the one responsible for it. He considered making a trade, Connie for Bonnie, but he didn't think that would work that well. He was sure that Devon would come at any moment, looking for Connie, if he didn't than the whole thing had been a ruse, and they were good actors. He needed to talk to the others and hear their ideas, although he was certain he would come up with something better than the dolts. As he sat in the car contemplating all of this, Connie's phone that he managed to steal had rung about ten times. He wasn't surprised when he saw Devon's name flash on the screen. He could answer it, but then what would he say. He reached for it and said, "Hello."
He didn't hear anything and turned it off. He called Devon back and no one picked up. Damon put his head on the steering wheel in frustration causing the horn to blow loud and long.
Jeremy shook his head in disappointment as he read the book, scanning the words quickly until they became a blur and he couldn't read it anymore. Caroline and Elena were pacing back and forth almost, bumping into each other several times. Elena felt like there wasn't anything she could do and felt hopeless.
"We're going to die," Jeremy said, and the girls stopped pacing and met each other mid-way. The librarian nearby told them to shush, even though there was no one else in the library but them.
"What?" Elena said, glancing at the librarian that was shelving books.
Jeremy walked over to them and handed the girls the book and pointed out the sentence. They read it and looked at him.
"That's not true," Caroline informed him.
"Yes it is, because they are all here. I mean what else could they want?" Jeremy said sternly.
"Let's call Damon and see what he thinks about it," Elena said, handing Jeremy back the book.
"Connie," Damon said against the door, but all he heard was her breathing. Connie was against the door, hearing Damon on the other side, but she didn't feel like answering.
"Where is Bonnie?" he asked her, trying to keep his tone in check.
"Damon, get me out of here," she said, pounding her fist against the door and watched as splinters fell and a cloud of dust obscured her vision.
"Not till you tell me where you have Bonnie," he said and he felt like he knew what was coming next.
"Let me out and I will."
Ignoring her, he went back to the car, to think, but he knew he was wasting time. It was just 4:00 PM but it would be dark soon.
"They are not as united as we are and that's why we'll win." Devon looked each one of them in the eyes. Taylor, who had not been with them since the beginning was finally here tonight, standing next to Helen and just trying to control himself. "If Connie is not picking up it's because she has succeeded and is in the witches' house. All we can hope for is that it works and our powers will be restored."
"I think," Jerome said, "that someone will be coming for Bonnie or maybe all of them will."
Devon grinned. "That's all right. Let them."
"Soon we'll have what we want and now all we have to look out for is the signal."
All of them nodded as they looked at Devon. They all shared that same look, with hope in their eyes, as if they had already won a game.
"Pat I want you to go The Grill and see if you can get any sort of information that might help us out. Oh and before I forget, don't go out with the tux, just go out in a t-shirt and jeans. Oh and yeah don't take the Porsche, take the Honda Civic," Devon ordered.
"Got it," Pat said. He really hated that 1999 old Honda Civic though, but he tried to look happy.
"Don't forget to park a few blocks away from The Grill."
"As for me, I'll be waiting for Connie's sign," Devon said as he made his way to the basement.
"We don't have to tell Devon," Carolina said to Steven.
"We don't have to tell Devon what?" Devon asked, as he descended down the stairs.
Steven and Carolina now stood next to each other, trying to block Bonnie from Devon's view, but that only made it apparent that something was wrong.
Devon tried looking around them, but they kept shifting along, but he caught a glimpse of Bonnie on the ground.
"What happened?" he said, moving in between them and parting them like the Red Sea. Bending down, he saw Bonnie lying down peacefully next to the radiator, her face caked with blood.
"Who did this?" he repeated. Devon's face was in a scowl as he looked at both of them, neither one of them saying anything, but looking down at Bonnie as if she had done it to herself.
Carolina said lowly, "I did." Her voice hinted it as something of a challenge.
"Yeah you would wouldn't you," Devon said, grabbing her by the neck.
"Brother," Steven said, putting his hand on Devon's shoulder. "It was an accident."
Devon didn't believe them. Ever since Carolina was with them she had been more of a liability than anything else.
"This wasn't part of the plan," he said through gritted teeth, all the while squeezing her neck. "Why did you do it?" he said, his nails now digging into her flesh.
"Let her go," Steven said, putting pressure on his brother's shoulder. Carolina's eyes closed as she felt the air coming out of her.
Devon let her go suddenly and she gasped as she fell to her knees. Her eyes watery she tried to speak as Devon put his hands on his hips.
Apprehensively Carolina said, "We were asking her questions and she refused to answer and I just hit her too hard. It was an accident." She averted her eyes to look at Steven who nodded in agreement.
"Fine clean her up and keep her down here. We have to move faster than anticipated. I'll get two of Jerome's people to guard the basement door."
When Devon went back upstairs, Carolina turned to Steven.
"Thank you so much," she said, burying her face in his chest.
"It all right," he said, rubbing her back to soothe her.
Stefan, Jeremy, Caroline and Elena sat at The Grill, eating a quick snack and anxiously awaiting Damon's call, when they spotted Pat come in. They had called Damon, but he wasn't picking up.
"Hey Matt," the bartender said, coming over to him. The bartender checked his watch, turned back to look at the Clock and said, "Matt you have the night shift. Don't you remember?"
Pat paused. What the hell is he talking about? I practically own this place. Pat started to laugh, and almost gave himself away, but the bartender was a dolt that he thought Matt was laughing because he was so early.
"I'll just grab something to eat," Pat said.
"You practically spend your paycheck here," the bartender laughed, clamping Pat's shoulder too hard that he winced, but the bartender was too far gone to even notice.
"Hey Matt," Caroline called over to him.
"We have to tell him," Elena whispered to the rest of them. "He deserves a heads up."
Caroline frowned, remembering the time she had told Matt he was a vampire and now he would just have more to deal with.
Pat made his way to the others and sat down next to Stefan. "What's up guys?" he said.
"Matt, we have something to tell you," Elena said, taking a deep breath, but she suddenly felt a pain in her ankle and looked at Caroline, who she thought may have kicked her accidently. Caroline's eyes hinted otherwise and she signaled Elena with her eyes to look at Matt's wrist. At first she didn't understand and then she noticed it.
"So what do you guys want to tell me?" Pat smiled unaware of what had just taken place. "We just wanted to tell you that we love that shirt on you. Great choice," Caroline said, patting his hand. Jeremy and Stefan shared a confused expression. "Yeah it really goes with your eyes," Caroline said, forcing a smile.
Caroline texted Damon quickly, trying to make small talk as her fingers expertly moved over the keypad.
Why are you not answering? Pat is here sitting with us as we speak at The Grill.
Damon decided to read the text. He hadn't answered their earlier phone calls, because he knew that they had expected him to come up with a grand plan and frankly, he didn't have one yet. He asked himself, What would Bonnie do?
Take Pat with you guys and lock him up in the Boarding House. Get any information you can out of him.
That was two, Connie and Pat, but how the hell was he going to get the others?
Caroline snuck her hand down the table and read the text and smiled slyly as she looked at Pat. She forwarded the message to the others at the table, as Pat made a move to get out.
"Hey, where you going?" Stefan said, placing his hand on Pat's shoulder.
Pat noticed how quiet the four of them had gotten, so he knew that they were onto him.
"Yeah, Matt," Caroline said, drawling the name out, but her eyes hinted that she knew who he really was. "You too good with your Rolex watch to be sitting with us?"
That's it he was going to bargain with them. All he needed to know where that damn Tudor house was, whiz pass all of them and get Bonnie safely out. Connie was stuck in the witches' house, so he decided just to leave.
He drove in a frantic pace not caring what any of the neighbors had to say about it. He got to The Grill and saw that Stefan was dumping Pat in the backseat of his car.
He walked to the four of them and nodded in approval.
"He told us where the house is," Caroline said.
"What did you do with Connie?" Elena asked, putting a hand to her forehead as she thought about Bonnie, worry in her eyes that her friend was in danger.
Damon shrugged. "She's stuck in the witches' house."
"This is my plan-" Stefan said, but he was quickly interrupted.
"Your plan," Damon said, "is not better than my plan. So listen up this is what's going down. I'm going to the Tudor house, I'll kill some of them, tell Devon I'm going to give him his beloved, locate Bonnie and get her out and that's done."
"That's suicide," Stefan said, getting in his brother's face. "We don't know what they're capable of. I'm not going to let you do it."
"Well your plan is going to suck as always."
"I won't tell you where the house is," Stefan said, his green eyes shining.
"Guys" Caroline and Elena said in unison, trying to break up the fight.
The guys turned to the girls.
"We're wasting time," Elena said to them.
Jeremy kept watch over Pat as he listened to the others arguing. Damon's plan was good he thought, but he thought Stefan had a better plan. Jeremy noticed Pat begin to stir.
"Guys," he said, but they ignored him.
Pat was beginning to get up, when Damon rushed over and landed a punch straight in the jaw. He slumped over the seat and looked like he was sleeping.
"My plan is better," Stefan said.
Damon had made up his mind already that he didn't want to listen to any of their plans and that his way was the only way.
"Give me the directions," he demanded.'
"No," Stefan said instantly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Damon reached over quickly and his hand was in Stefan's chest, before he knew what was happening. Damon massaged his brother's heart and said, "Tell me or I'll squeeze."
Caroline made an attempt to go forward, while Elena stood firmly in place, watching her darling in pain.
Stefan gave him the directions and slumped to the floor as his brother's hand came out of him. "Why are you acting like this?" Elena said, hurrying toward Stefan and hugging him.
Damon smirked. "Because I made Emily a promise a long time ago and I intend to keep it." Even as he finished saying it, he himself didn't believe it. It was something else, something that he would not confess to anyone.
"Remember we have to stick together," Carolina said, kissing Steven on the lips.
"Let's hope they're not united as we are." Steven said, carrying Carolina up the stairs.
They walked out and saw the guards standing by the door.
Meanwhile, Devon gazed out at the sky that was darkening, wishing and hoping that he would see a rainbow soon.
Bonnie lay there, unaware of what was going on and all she could focus on was the pain in her head was in. It was as if a bowling ball had dropped on top of her. She tried to move, but found that she couldn't. Interestingly enough as she lay there, her whole life had flashed before her, like a home movie, so she knew and thought that she was going to die. She didn't know how she felt about that, and the loneliness that settled over her, made her want to cry, but she couldn't. Then she heard an unfamiliar voice tell her. "Take the deal."
She tried to shut it out, but that same voice said it two more times. She never imagined that she would die this way, but she knew it was coming and she heard an imaginary clock ticking away.
As Devon stared out the window, he saw Damon crossing the lawn, heading straight for the door.
"He's here," Devon laughed manically.
So sorry for it being too long. Anyway, I just wanted to set the stage up for you guys, so tell me what you think. What is going to happen? Will Damon succeed? What do the doppels want?
