Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing. Only the story is mine.

Note: Previously, in "Stranger Things Have Happened," Caroline goes into labor and Elena takes her to the hospital, where she gives birth to her and Klaus' second child.

Hey, lovelies! I thought I'd treat you to an update, since I haven't done one in a while (the last one being February 4). I've had an idea in mind for that long, but wasn't sure if it sounded better in my head or not. In any case, here I go. No spoilers, just follow along.

Mikaelson Art Gallery – Two Weeks Later...

It was a rather slow day at the gallery, since Caroline was still on maternity leave and Klaus was in and out, usually because Caroline had called him about something going on at home or because he had to meet with a client. In either case, Elena was by herself, on the computer and looking up things that would benefit the gallery. As she went about her business, she couldn't shake the fact that her new life here in Mystic Falls might come to a grinding halt, and that she wasn't entirely safe here, regardless of what Damon had promised her.

"Hello, Elena."

She was jostled out of her reverie by a very familiar and sinister voice, looking up from her monitor to see... "Mason? What the hell are you doing here?"

Mason smirked at her. "You didn't honestly think it was that easy to get away from me, did you?"

Her heart pounding, Elena slowly got up from her chair, knowing that if she got up too quickly, he would see it as a sign of aggression. "I don't know how you found me, but you'd better get out of here, especially before I press the alarm button and alert the authorities."

"Believe me, it wasn't easy," said Mason. "Detective Saltzman refused to give me any information regarding your whereabouts. Fortunately, I found out on my own and here I am." He grabbed her arm. "You're coming with me and I won't take no for an answer!"

Elena slapped him hard across his face, hearing him shout out angrily and, taking advantage of it, ran out of the gallery. Once she was outside, she pulled out her cell phone and looked through her contacts for Damon's number. She needed him right now, and she didn't give a shit if he was still in class. This was more important. Finding his number, she pressed "SEND" and waited for him to pick up.

Come on, pick up, she thought. Mason is back and I need you to help me.

"Hello?"

No sooner did she finish her thought than Damon picked up on his end. "Oh, thank God I was able to get you. Mason showed up at the gallery. I don't know how the hell he found me, but he's here and I'm scared as shit."

"That bastard is in town?" said Damon. "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"

"No, I didn't give him a chance to," said Elena. "He grabbed me and I slapped him, making him let go of me. Taking advantage of the pain, I ran out of the gallery and I'm looking for a place to take cover." She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Damon, I need you."

"Relax, Elena, I'm going to call Sheriff Forbes and we'll take the son of a bitch down," said Damon. "In the meantime, find a place to hide."

Elena saw the Grill. "The Grill is right in front of me. I'll duck in there."

"Good," said Damon. "Take cover in there. If anyone asks, tell them that you need to hide because you're in fear for your life."

Elena nodded and, looking over her shoulder, she saw Mason coming out of the gallery. Gasping, she made a mad dash toward the Grill, opening the door and hurrying inside. She was seen by Matt Donovan, the owner of the place, who recognized her from two weeks ago.

"Elena, are you all right?"

"No, I'm in fear for my life and I need to hide."

Matt was about to ask when he saw Mason outside and quickly said, "Come on, I'll show you a safe place. I recently found it while I was cleaning the kitchen. Trust me, he'll never find you in there."

Elena was about to ask what that was, but decided not to as he led her into the kitchen, where there was a loose grate. He pulled it away from the wall. Seeing her curious look, he said, "It's a tunnel that leads to the woods. You can hide in there."

Elena nodded. "Thank you." She looked at his name tag. "Matt."

Without another word, she crawled into the hole and once she had gotten beyond the opening, Matt closed it behind her and she made her way further into the tunnel, all the while hoping that this would indeed head to the woods, just as Matt had told her.

Meanwhile...

Damon was sweating bullets as he rushed to the scene, his mind on Elena and making sure that her asshole ex was dealt with. He had called Liz just before leaving the school, after which he called Dante, knowing that he wanted to help. When he reached the Grill, he caught sight of Mason and stopped the car, stepping out and approaching his opponent.

"You Mason Lockwood?"

Mason sneered at him. "I am. What's it to you, asshole?"

"I'm Elena's boyfriend and I want you to leave her alone," said Damon, ignoring the insult Mason had thrown at him. "You're not going to lay so much as a hand on her, not if I have anything to say about it."

Mason scoffed. "She's dating you? What the hell could you possiblysee in Elena?"

"For one thing, I see plenty in her," said Damon. "She's a sweet, loving, wonderful woman, and she needs someone who can love her for who she is and not treat her like shit, something you obviously did."

Mason growled and tried to throw a punch, which Damon ducked easily and grabbed Mason's hand in his, kicking him swiftly in the balls, hearing the other man's cries but ignoring them. Growling, Damon then punched him in the nose, causing blood to come out. He was still beating him up when the sounds of sirens were heard. Great, Liz and her deputies had arrived. No sooner did they arrive than Damon heard the Camaro pull up. Dante climbed out after he stopped, followed by Melissa, who just so happened to come along for the ride.

Dante then approached his brother, much to the dismay of the deputies. "Let me have a shot at him, Damon."

Damon twisted Mason's arm behind his back and turned him around so that his brother could see him. "Be my guest. Make him pay for threatening Elena."

Dante smirked and did a round house kick, which broke several of Mason's ribs and caused the other man to cough up blood, which splattered onto Dante's shirt. Of course, the teenager didn't give a shit and was about to hit him again when Liz stopped him.

"All right, you two, you roughed him up enough," she said. "I'll take it from here."

Dante was disappointed. "Aww, but Sheriff..."

"Don't you 'but, Sheriff' me, Dante," said Liz. "Let me handle this."

The Salvatore brothers then let Mason go and Liz had her deputies handcuff him, leading him away. Once he was gone, they went into the Grill, Melissa following them. Matt saw Damon and the two teenagers coming in.

"It's okay, Elena's safe."

"Where is she, Matt? I need to see her."

"The tunnels," said Matt. "I showed her the vent that was loose. Most likely, she's on her way to the woods."

Damon nodded. "Then, that's where we're going." He looked at Dante and Melissa. "Come on, you two, let's go find Elena."

Dante and Melissa nodded and they headed outside, getting into their cars and driving off.

The Woods – That Same Moment...

Elena was nearly out of breath by the time she reached the woods. The tunnels seemed like they went on forever, but she was relieved to see daylight. She was grateful to Matt for providing her with an escape route, while at the same time, she wondered if Mason had been stopped or not.

"Elena, where are you?"

Before she could think on it any further, she heard Damon's voice and immediately replied, "I'm over here, Damon! Follow my voice and you'll find me!"

Sure enough, she saw him coming toward her, followed by Dante and Melissa. Smiling, Elena ran to him, throwing her arms around him and let out a sob as tears streamed down her face. "Oh God, Damon, I was so scared. I thought he was going to hurt me."

Damon nodded as he held her close. "It's over now, he'll never hurt you again. Liz and her deputies hauled him away."

Elena said nothing to that, just nodded and continued to hold onto him, sobbing even harder.

Note: I think I'll end Chapter 10 here. I originally was going to have Mason kidnap her, but changed my mind. Anyway, hope you enjoy this long overdue update and there is still more to come, so don't think this is the last chapter.

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