A/N: Thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews. If I missed anyone in replying to a review, I apologize. I truly appreciate all the feedback. Happy reading!
Chapter 10
Glutton for punishment. I should have chosen that phrase to tattoo on my body instead of the ones I have. I predicted this trip would be crushing but I thought I could shoulder the burden. After having Elena in my arms, trying to bring her back from her mini meltdown, I felt my knees start to buckle slightly under the weight. Our bodies touching, arms wrapped tightly around each other, we were in a state of suspended reality. Of course, reality had to come crashing back and Elena jumped out of my arms so fast once the sobs subsided, you would have thought I was on fire. She mumbled something about wedding planning with Caroline, grabbed Jeremy's journal and tore out of the office.
That was a week ago. Since then, it's been trips to Colorado, casual conversations with the sheriff and then members of the town council. Elena for her part has revisited all of Jeremy's friends, spent time on Mason's campaign and wedding planning with Caroline. There has been the occasional text as we discuss things about Jeremy, but despite my best efforts there has not been an opportunity to talk to her alone. Her ability to duck, dodge and live in the denial bubble almost revivals mine. So in other words, thus far, my attempts at a reconciliation have been a big F-A-I-L, fail. The only upside seems to be a silent understanding on her part to work with me to find Jeremy , so fights and snarky comments have been kept to a minimum.
Now I am leaning against my Camaro, arms and ankles crossed waiting for Alaric. He emerges from the house but hesitates when he sees me. Alaric is a smart man. He knows bits and pieces of my history, he heard my conversation with Elena last week, saw her in my arms and has seen my mood ever since. A mood that has me pissed off bordering on hostile. Most would think her crying in my arms was a positive step forward, but that would mean there are still steps I have to go through to get us where I want us to be. Patience has never been my strong suit. I want things fixed now and it pisses me off to know I need to move at Elena's pace on this.
Alaric takes a breath. "Damon, if you want out, I'll understand," Alaric says softly. See, smart man.
Rarely have I had friendship and loyalty in my life. It's probably deserved. I know I'm a dick. Always seemed to burn more bridges than I could ever build. Alaric has seen me do some pretty shitty things, has been my partner in crime for some even shittier things, things he would rather have avoided. His friendship, his loyalty never wavers. Alaric is a rare breed.
"Good cop or bad cop?" I ask.
Every lead we tried tracking down this week led to more dead ends. The only upside is we were able to sit down with Anna and she spilled everything she knew. She confirmed what I surmised about Colorado. Jeremy figured out Elena's plan and Jeremy, being a Gilbert, wasn't going to leave his sister behind. With no inheritance until they're 25 and no job or degree, Jeremy was smart enough to know Elena would some seed money to establish herself.
Have to give the kid credit, his hated of Mason must have run pretty deep. This was an elaborate plan. Such a plan is only required if your stubborn sister refused to see her impending marriage would be the biggest mistake of her life. This has all led to what I wanted to do a week ago and corner Mason to see what he really knows.
Alaric sighs. "Do you even know how to play good cop?" See, rare breed. He knows when to push and when to let it lie. Now is not the time to discuss Elena or our history. This is a time to let it lie. I just need to find Jeremy.
"So you're finally ready to accept what we have to do?" I ask circling the Camaro to the driver's side. Mason is lucky he was on the campaign trail this past week, otherwise he would have received a visit from me, even if Alaric was still sitting on the fence about it. With Mason's status as an up and coming politician, Alaric wanted to keep a wide birth. Somewhat understandable since there is talk of a run for Governor if he doesn't screw up over the next four years and a presidential run eight years after that. I've been vehemently disagreeing with Alaric's philosophy, but he is going to be forced to agree after Anna confirmed all our assumptions.
A long sigh escapes his lips and he briefly looks up. "Can we not kick anyone's ass tonight, please?" Alaric crosses his hands on top of the Camaro. Finally, Alaric agrees and lucky enough Mason is back in town as of today. I just flash Alaric a smirk and climb into the Camaro.
Feet propped up on the table in front of me, sitting in a wing backed chair in the dark, I don't have to wait long for my prey. Mason enters the bedroom from the bathroom wearing just a towel surrounded by a cloud of steam. He enters his walk-in closet re-entering the room a few minutes later in a pair of dress pants and his dress shirt unbuttoned. I flick on the light sitting on the small table next to me. Mason jumps a mile in the air turning quickly towards the light.
"What the..." Mason yells. His eyes widen and there is a fear there.
Mason seems to regain his composure and straightens his spine, his face contorting in a smirk. "Damon Salvatore. Breaking and entering. A new low even for you." Mason takes a step away from me towards his dresser.
"Maid let me in. She was very accommodating," I tell him with a suggestive wiggle of my eyebrows. I think the maid sensed me being there meant bad things for Mason and she practically shoved me up the stairs towards his room. No loved lost with his staff.
"Is there a reason for this visit? I'm an important man and have places to be." Mason places his arm on the dresser he has edged close to and I have to force myself not to burst out laughing at his attempts to be nonchalant.
Reaching into the pocket of my jacket, I pull out a cell phone and hold it up with my fingertips. "Looking for this?"
Mason grimaces and steps forward. "Give me back my phone Damon and get out!" Mason demands. The fear has returned as he has no lifeline to call anyone for help him if I decide to kick his ass.
I drop the phone so my whole hand is around it except for one finger. I wave my finger at him as if scolding a child. "Tsk, tsk, Mason. So rude. This isn't how you treat a long lost friend. It's been a while since we've had a nice friendly chat." I explain to him with a wide grin. Watching him twist and turn, not knowing what I am up to, has high entertainment value. Should have sold tickets and popcorn.
"Tell me why you're fucking in my room, Damon. Now!" Mason tries to demand.
"Let's play a little game of truth. You answer my questions honestly and we part ways. Lie to me, and let's just say, your campaign photos may need some air brushing." I start twirling the phone in my hands, my crossed feet swinging back and forth like I don't have a care in the world. This is unnerving Mason even more.
"Not going to play your games, Damon. Get out or I will call the police." Mason starts for the door.
"Tell me about Jeremy Gilbert." At first I think Mason is ignoring me since he never breaks stride as he crosses the room.
"He's the runaway, pothead, little brother of MY fiancé." Couldn't miss how he stressed 'my' and his step was a little jauntier at the same time. Fucking douchebag extraordinaire.
"We know about the account, Mason. Now, what do you know...about...Jeremy...Gilbert?" My voice is hard and each word uttered in a short staccato to emphasize I am done dicking around.
Mason's hand freezes on the door knob and he glances at me over his shoulder with his forehead scrunched up in confusion. Suddenly the door opens forcing Mason back a step and Alaric slides into the room. He motions to the door as if saying 'we need to get out of here.'
Time to push and push hard since I'm guessing Mason's goons are on their way by the look of Alaric. "We know about the money Jeremy was stashing away. So tell us what you know about his disappearance." Mason is shifting his eyes between the two of us still looking bewildered.
Suddenly his face changes. "I get it. You're trying to play the hero." Mason has a wide shit eating grin on his face as he glances from Alaric to me, grinning like he just revealed the biggest secret in history.
"Someone finally did their homework." I give Mason a nonchalant shrug and Alaric groans. I knew Mason would do a thorough background check by now, one that would be deep enough to reveal my real occupation.
"So the big, bad PI has come to play hero. Thinks if he can find baby brother, he'll finally get the girl. How sad." Mason gives me a fake pouty face.
Pushing myself to my feet, my eyes slide to Alaric who gives a slight shake of his head. I hate that he is always the angel on my shoulder whispering to do right. Right now, I need him to be the devil egging me on. Tamping down my urge to throw down with Mason I hold my ground. "I sense Photoshop will become your best friend unless you start talking."
"How sad is it to still love a woman who told you to your face that she would never love you. Who chose your own brother over you. A woman who chose me, someone you hated, over you. Damon Salvatore, never anyone's choice, never to be loved or wanted." Mason gloated. His words hang in the air and the tension ratchets up tenfold. My hands curl into fists and the movement doesn't escape Mason's attention. He stiffens realizing he pushed his luck too far.
Mason lunges for the door. Before I have a chance to move, hell before I even have a chance to take a breath, there is the sound of flesh hitting flesh and Mason is on his ass. My eyes widen staring at Mason sprawled out on the floor lip bleeding and Alaric shaking out his right hand. Holy shit, Alaric just punched Mason. It's my turn to be a proud dad. There is no time to gloat as an alarm sounds. Before Alaric could stop him, Mason hit a button next to the door which must have been a panic button. The door tears open and three guys enter the room assessing the situation. Knowing we need to move quickly, I recall my football days and leap at the door, arms spread wide. Two of the three hit the floor and I trust Alaric is taking care of the third.
Looking down, Kol and Klaus are beneath me struggling to extricate themselves and regain their feet. A knee to the gut keeps Kol on the ground while I am able to get a couple of quick hits on Klaus at his ribs and one at the jaw that has his head ricocheting off the floor. Rolling to my feet and a swift kick to a still prone Kol has him curling into a ball. Glancing over my shoulder, Alaric has laid out the third man. Both of us take off down the hall and out of the house to the Camaro. We are driving down the street just as the police are racing to the Lockwood's.
"'Can we not kick anyone's ass tonight?' Your words, not mine. Just saying." I give him a half grin.
"Shut it," Alaric saying with a petulant tone. And, for once, I abide by his request and we ride the rest of the drive in silence.
"I can't believe I hit a future President of the United States," Alaric laments as we walk into The Grille. He is walking slightly ahead and surprises me when he suddenly stops. Looking past him, I see why. The entire back of The Grille, where they occasionally hold private parties, is decorated with balloons and streamers along with a large banner exclaiming, 'Happy Birthday Elena.'
"Maybe we should….." Alaric starts but I brush past him to the bar.
"I need a drink." Alaric must agree as he reluctantly sits next to me and he wisely signals for the bartender. We commence drinking, trying to forget this night.
"He looked surprised." Alaric takes a sip from the bourbon placed in front of him.
"What?" I snap.
Alaric shoves my drink closer to me. I take the hint and take a long drink. The burn of the bourbon is a welcome distraction from my anger. I hate Mason Lockwood and wanted more time to find creative ways to get any and all information out of him.
"Mason. He was surprised about Jeremy's account." I just nod in agreement. Just because he was surprised doesn't mean he is innocent. We fall into silence pretending to ignore that Elena and Mason will soon walk into this bar, and of course we didn't have long to wait for the supposed happy couple.
I really should leave. I'm regretting not listening to Alaric when tried to suggest we leave. Watching Elena celebrate her birthday sucks. The only upside was watching Mason's face pale when he saw me and Alaric sitting at the bar. I hate watching her talk with Caroline, hate watching her gently touch Stefan's arm as she spoke to him, and especially hate watching Mason put his arm around Elena's shoulders. It's not a loving gesture, but a gesture of possession. He uses that gesture to guide her away from her few friends towards those of higher standing that Mason chatted with readily while Elena barely spoke a word.
The nasally voice that grated me so often as a child, reverberates next to me. "Cosmopolitan." Caroline Forbes is standing next to me, little black dress, hair done, and pissed off look on her face. Glancing next to her and seeing me, her pissed off look gets even darker.
"Great, Damon Salvatore. Don't know who I hate more, you, or Mason." Caroline says shrilly.
"Do not lump me in with Mason Lockwood. Ever." I tell her the threat evident in my tone. Her eyes widen slightly at me and she nods.
I flash her a smirk to ease the sting of my previous words. "Do tell, blondie. Why are you hating on good ole' Masy boy? Isn't it girl code to try and get along with your best friend's man?"
"Girl code says, if your friend is about to marry a douchebag, you try to convince them to call off the wedding. Even if you planned said wedding, and it will be the most sensational wedding since Jackie married JFK, you try and talk her out of it. But Elena, as always, is too stubborn and loyal to see the truth," Caroline admits, arms flailing dramatically.
"The only good thing about you being back, is maybe you'll screw up their wedding. Of course I won't get my hopes up as you'll probably abandon her at the last minute, screwing up your attempt to screw up the wedding." Caroline grimaces at me, hand on her hip in full bitch mode.
"Casting stones, Caroline? Everyone knows I'm a fuck up. What's your excuse for abandoning your best friend?" Caroline shrivels before me. She didn't think I would know that she had been out of Elena's life the majority of the time I was gone.
"While you were dwelling on your own drama, who was Elena supposed to lean on to ease her burdens? Because it certainly wasn't you or Stefan." Pain and regret fill Caroline's eyes as I rant at her.
"You, Damon. Elena may have been my rock, but you were hers and you abandoned her when she needed you the most." Caroline whispers. She might as well have punched me in the gut, the force of her words were that strong. Elena and were friends, but I never realized she depended on me that heavily.
With a flip of her hair, Caroline picked up her Cosmo and walks away. Yet again, my actions from four years ago are thrown in my face. I constantly try telling myself leaving was the right thing to do, but was it cowardly to try and pretended Elena didn't exist after that? Why didn't I check in over the years?
Turning to Alaric I see him studying Elena's party guests. Scanning the crowd, most are engaged in conversation. I see Mason heading for a reporter, John Gilbert walking towards the door, the Sheriff hovering and Elena moving to the bar.
"Did I miss something?" I ask wondering why Alaric looks tense.
"Not sure," Alaric says but he continues to study the room.
Uncertain if I want to know more I decide to move down the bar, stupidly to sit next to Elena. As I approach I order her a martini. Sliding it in front of her, Elena glances first at me then at the drink and shakes her head no. "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to" I jokingly tell her. It's not lost on me that this party is a total political farce to sell Mason to the media as the loving fiancé. From the look on Elena's face all night, that fact is not lost on her. Hell, the only people here she actually cares about are Caroline and Stefan and they technically work for Mason. Stefan is working on Mason's campaign and Mason is footing the bill for Caroline's wedding planning skills.
A sound I had missed being directed at me ripples out of Elena. Laughter. I've seen many sides of her beauty since being back but it wasn't until this moment, I realized how much I missed her smile and the sound of her laugher. It seems to fill a room and drown out all other sounds.
Elena eyes the drink I bought her greedily then her eyes pop up finding Mason across the room. His face is tight as he stares at us. Fuck him. I push the drink even closer to her with a smirk. Seeing Elena together with Mason burns my gut. It pains me to know that by marrying Mason, she is choosing a life of misery. Grayson was right, Elena is moving through life with blinders on.
"Sometimes the hard decisions, the ones that are honest and real, cause pain for you and those you care about. But sometimes that short term pain is needed for a lifetime of happiness." Great, now I sound like a fucking fortune cookie and it's probably going to get me yelled at again.
Elena eyes seem conflicted for a moment before they drop to the bar. "Is that bar wisdom?" Elena asks with an uncomfortable chuckle.
"Nope," I pop the p sound. "Just me getting less dumb with old age." I grin down at her. "Now, you have a couple of professional drinkers at your service." I motion my head in the direction of Alaric and my empty stool. "So, if you want to tie one on, you know where to find me," I tell her matter of factly.
Walking back to my seat next to Alaric, I force myself not to look back at her. I know she won't follow and I don't need to watch her walk back to Mason. Elena, no surprise, does exactly what I predicted and returned to Mason's side. Not long after this, I decide I can't take any more and head to my childhood home.
Standing at my window, shoulder pressed against the glass. I stare out at the dark, moonless night. Nights are always the worst time for me and I avoid my bed like the plague for fear of what haunts my dreams. The only positive things about insomnia is that it gives me lots of time to ponder our case.
We've reviewed Jeremy's last day in detail based on information from Anna and Elena who were the only two people to speak to him that day. Per Anna, he insisted he had to go the lake house before he went to the bank and packed. Something about that day is bothering me. He planned and plotted. Why do something so random as going to the lake house when he had so many things left to do? Elena took Jeremy's journal and I need to get it back as see if there are any more clues in it.
The door to my room creaks open breaking me out of my thoughts and a thin beam of light from the hall breaks through the thick blackness. A beautiful silhouette stands in the door, a silhouette I would recognize anywhere as it is of the angel that I went to hell for.
"Elena," I whisper and she walks into my room closing the door behind her.
A/N: Please drop me a note and let me know what you think!