Elena's body remained crumpled on the floor as Damon sprang into action. He had Katherine against the wall and before she could fight back with her superior strength, Stefan had his hand around her throat.
She struggled for air, clawing at Damon's chest and spatting like a feral cat. They both loosened their grips when she started to still and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She gasped for air as she slid down the wall to their feet.
Stefan knelt down and seethed, "You're going to tell us what's going on or we will kill you."
She had her eyes closed but Damon could tell she was just calculating her next move. She was no fool and he had learned everything there was to learn about manipulation from her.
"Like I told her," she nodded towards Elena's still body, "he can't be reached."
Damon tilted his head to the side, peering down at her tense form. He caught what she was trying to say. She was clever.
"Seems like Elijah's been doing a lot of compelling these days brother…" Damon announced, locking eyes with Stefan as he stood to face him.
Before Stefan could respond in question, Damon squatted down and stuck his finger under Katherine's chin to lift her gaze to his. "Send him a message. Tell him Elena has the memory. Let's get this show on the road."
Katherine rolled her eyes and replied, "Trust me, you want to wait until she has the memory. There's no going blind into this. He'll know the moment he sets eyes on her if she has the memory or not. She'll just bawl about her brother and he'll kill us all."
"I don't really think we have a choice. The moment she wakes up she's going to find a way out of here and to her brother. She'll stop at nothing to make sure he's ok. If she knows the truth we'll be back at square one," Stefan stated, glancing forlornly at Elena's body.
Damon knew he was right, he'd have to force their hand.
"Here it is Kitty-cat. You're dead either way. I will stake you in your sleep and you know it. Message him or I'll do it for you," Damon smiled his most endearing smile.
She laughed a laugh that rivaled Elena's humanity-switch-off laugh and stood up to fold her arms defiantly across her chest.
"You're making a huge mistake," she smirked.
Taking her—and his brother—by surprise, he shoved a hand down the front of her loose jogging pants and plucked her phone from its' hiding place inside the front of her panties. He'd been waiting to do that. He even managed to graze her sweet spot with his pinky and enjoyed watching her jerk away as he did so.
"Give it back," she said flatly as he put the phone to his nose and peered at her with his eyes heavy lidded.
"In a minute. I have some sexting to do…" Damon was enjoying the look on her face. Seeing her squirm now was better than fucking her senseless back in the 1800s.
"You're going to regret this. He's going to be very angry when he realizes she isn't of use to him. You'll get her killed," Katherine added, her eyes trying to scare him out of the text he was composing.
"Elijah, Katherine is an idiot and has failed you. We know everything. I'd come now if I were you before the entire plan goes down the crapper," Damon read from the phone loudly with a smile on his face.
Katherine lunged at Damon but he was expecting it and merely moved to the side, phone held out of reach.
"Don't send that. I'll do it. I'll tell him the memory came to her just now. Maybe it'll give her time to come across it if he doesn't come immediately," she exclaimed, her eyes becoming fearful.
Damon shrugged and pressed send, causing Katherine's jaw to drop briefly before she sprang her fangs and tore the phone from his hand, snapping his wrist in the process. That he was also expecting. Still hurt like a mother fucker, but worth the look on her face.
He smiled smugly when she frantically read the sent message over again. It simply said, Elena has the memory.
Xxxx
Elijah wasn't surprised that he received another text from Katherine as he walked through the airport upon landing. Things got messy. No memory yet.
He knew the Salvatores would pry and pry and Katherine would slip. He counted on it. She would need their help anyhow.
Elena was sitting by an open window in the living room when he arrived and it pained his heart to see her face damp with tears and lips as pale as the moonlight that washed over the room. She looked much like Katherine did the night she came to him with the memory of Tatia's.
"Come with me," Elijah said simply, reaching a hand out to her.
When she didn't obey, just turned her gaze back out of the window, he glanced briefly at Damon. Then at Stefan. When he was certain they had no plans to stop him, he walked slowly to Elena and knelt in front of her.
"I'm sorry about your brother," he spoke softly, a part of him genuinely so.
She glanced down at him then, reminding him of how she looked at him during the ride to the club the night he stole her pain from her. He tested her compulsion, fearful she'd taken a page out of Katarina's book and had vervain in her system. "Say it back to me now Elena, say the words."
She whispered back the words he asked her to remember and he nodded and murmured, "I can take it away again if you want. I need you here though Elena; present. This is very important."
She took in a deep breath, her chest shaking in duress. He watched her eyes flick towards the brothers and then downwards towards her hands. She whispered so softly but it seemed to echo around the room to all their vampire ears, "yes, I need you to take it away."
He nodded and opened his mouth to compel away her memories of her brother's death yet again, but she stopped him with fingertips to his lips. "Did she do it?"
Elijah contemplated his answer. It was important for Elena to trust him and equally important for her to at least cooperate with Katarina. He opted to ignore her and instead pressed the smallest of kisses to her fingertips. It wasn't something he was planning on doing, but it was the best he could do aside from saying he was sorry all over again. He needed her cooperation more than her trust or forgiveness in the end of things. He was saying goodbye.
He caught her eyes and knew that she knew the truth but he took it away as quickly as it came. After the memories were wiped she was asleep and he placed her on the couch. She wouldn't be waking until the memories were complete.
"I'll arrange a nurse to come and keep her alive so that when the time comes she'll be ready," Elijah informed the brothers without taking his eyes off of Elena's restful face. "Now, where is Katarina hiding?"
Xxxx
Katherine tried to remain composed but as usual, her heart hammered away any possibility of fooling him. He appeared calm, though even whilst angry he remained cool so one couldn't be too sure. He walked slowly around the room, his hands folded neatly behind his back and eyes thoughtfully trailing over her things strewn about the floor.
"This must be very difficult for you Katarina…knowing you're to die at the end of all of this," he began, finally settling his gaze on her and stopping at her feet.
She shrugged and examined her nails, anything to keep her hands from shaking.
"I'll never forget how frightened you looked when the memories finally showed you your fate. It's tragic really, finding out your life is just a misfortunate piece of the puzzle. Think of all the suffering you've endured just out of some bad luck of being born what you are," he continued in an annoyingly even tone. It was as if he was musing over the weather rather than her demise.
A million snotty rebuttals swam around her mind but she kept her mouth clamped shut. He would do his threatening bit and then leave her alone. She knew she had little time to figure a way out of this mess. She knew she could if only she could get her hands back on that cure.
At one time Elijah loved her. He hated this Katherine façade she put on but Katarina had died the night she killed her and she'd spent the rest of her years fighting for her survival. She knew when he looked at her it was just the real girl he had loved so long ago. She saw it in his face again when he looked at Elena. They were just mere flawed copies of his perfect true love.
Xxxx
Damon watched as the nurse inserted an IV into Elena's arm and taped it tightly down. He frowned at how just how tightly it was rammed into her skin. The nurse must have noted his displeasure because she cheerily stated, "it's just so her vampire healing powers won't push the foreign object out of her arm. She doesn't feel a thing!"
She continued humming and hooking up a blood bag to the IV as Damon plopped heavily into the arm chair next to the couch. This was getting to be too much.
"Hey," Stefan called from the door way before heading over to the drink table.
He poured himself and Damon a drink before stopping to watch the nurse finish up.
"You two keep an eye on the bags, I'll pop in once a day but you'll need to change these out as they get low!" The nurse smiled a horse like grin before exiting the room in a cloud of cheap perfume.
Stefan handed him his drink and he knocked it back almost greedily. Damon watched Stefan for a while, who looked as tired as anyone else in the house. His brother just stood there, taking small sips of his drink and staring at Elena who remained still in her sleep.
He felt powerless which made him restless but there was nothing to do but wait.
