Chapter 8: Werewolves again.

A glum silence hung over the three people in the parlour at the boarding house at 8.35 that Saturday evening.

Damon sat in the couch across from Darwin and Alaric, still wearing his blood-stained shirt. He hadn't been able to get anything out of Elijah, and in the end the Original had stabbed him in the neck with a pencil. Darwin was chewing nervously on a finger nail and Rick wore a disgusted expression on his face.

"I called him what?" he mumbled to himself.

"At least you were having a good time, "Damon remarked sarcastically, "unlike the rest of us."

"What else did I do?"

"Nothing much, "Darwin assured him, "you stood staring at a tray of sandwiches the rest of the time."

"Yes, I think I remember that. And Jenna?"

"She told you goodbye and you were perfectly polite."

Damon sighed. His patience with his current company was wearing thin. He was rarely bested by anyone, man or vampire, and his defeat made him even more moody than usual. He didn't know what to make of this Elijah Smith, or whatever he called himself, and today hadn't helped much. Only made him even more suspicious.

Darwin started tapping his fingers on the surface of the coffee table in a steady rhythm, and Damon sent him a withering look."Oh, go to bed, will you!"

The boy jumped violently in his seat and Damon sighed again. Had he been someone else, he would have apologized, but it simply wasn't in his nature.

"Go to bed, "he repeated more softly instead, "you're tired."

"Right, " Darwin mumbled, getting up, and grabbing his bag. "Goodnight, Damon. Mr. Saltzman."

"Night, "Alaric waved him away, dismissively, and Darwin disappeared into the Hall.

Alaric stretched his legs out in front of him. "I better get going. I have to be at Jenna's in ... What was that?" He turned his head towards the door to the hall.

Damon shrugged: "Just Darwin setting down his bag. He always overstuffs it with books. He steals them from the library, you know."

"What ... nerdy delinquincy."

"That's nothing compared to the propaganda he leaves lying around the house, "Damon grabbed a newspaper from the coffee table and threw it at Alaric, "This one's actually called Propaganda!"

The word was printed in big, red letters on the front page.

"We demand free birth control, "Alaric read aloud, "Nine reasons why Shell should not drill for oil in the Arctic ... are you sure he's not making bombs in his room?"

"Not sure of anything, "Damon shook his head and leaned back. They heard the sudden sound of booted feet running up the stairs. "Eavesdropping on adult conversations is very rude, Darwin! "Damon called out.

His phone started ringing on the table, and he picked it up.

"Hello, "he said unenthusastically.

"Damon, it's Bonnie."

Damon's eyebrows went up. "Bonnie, I don't think you have ever actually called me before."

"Shut up and listen... "she sounded urgent, "I tricked Luka into drinking a sleeping brew at the Grill and Jeremy and I brought him to Caroline's. I put him in a trance and made him answer my questions. It turns out that the Martins are working with Elijah, because Klaus has Luka's sister. They intend to kill Klaus right after the sacrifice. Klaus will be the weakest then."

Damon frowned. "After the sacrifice? But that would mean ..."

"Yes, Elena will die."

"Does she know?"

"She knows, "Bonnie confirmed, "It's all part of the deal she made with Elijah."

"Dammit, "Damon threw his phone across the room.

"What now?" Alaric asked, tossing the newspaper back on the coffee table.

"According to the deal Elena made with Elijah, she has to be killed in the sacrifice."

"Why?"

"He will only be able to kill Klaus afterwards."

"This means ... "

"Elijah has to die."

"I can't deal with this right now and I really have to go, "Alaric said, standing up, "I'll see you tomorrow at the Grill, right?"

"Right, "Damon got up to pour himself a drink. But as soon as Alaric disappeared into the hall, another loud bump sounded, and Damon froze.

That was definitely out of place!

He moved over to the door and stuck his head out cautiously. Alaric was lying on the floor by the front door, a bloody knife protruding from his chest. Damon glanced to the other side and saw Darwin by the stairs, the boy's neck twisted at an unnatural angle.

Elijah

, Damon thought immediately.

The Original hadn't been invited in, but as only vampires took up permanent recidency at the boarding house ever since Zach had been killed, he didn't have to.

Damon inhaled deeply and forgot all about Elijah. The hall reeked of wolf!

At least five or six had to have passed through here, as he wouldn't have been able to pick up the scent had there only been one.

He moved silently down the hall towards Darwin and knelt down beside his motionless body. He gently moved the boy's head to fit his neck back into its natural position and thus starting the healing process.

He then stood back up and turned to Alaric. But as he passed by the kitchen door, someone jumped at him and latched on to his back. A syringe pierced his neck and he felt the burning sensation of vervain being forced into his system.

He fought furiously, slamming the intruder into the walls, but he never slackened his grip around Damon's neck... not even for a second ... and slowly, the fight and fury drained out of Damon and he fell to the floor.

Through the kitchen door came three more wolves, the only one he recognised was Jules.

"Hi, Damon, "she said, "Nice to see you again."

And he lost consciousness.

(Break)

Darwin shook himself awake. The smell of blood was strong around him and he felt his fangs elongating in automatic response. He lifted his head and rubbed his aching neck.

What had happened?

Right ahead off him lay Alaric, completely still. He got up on hands on knees and crawled to him. "Mr. Saltzman?"

Darwin grabbed the knife sticking out of Rick's chest and pulled it out. He felt an almost overwhelming urge to lick the blood off the blade. He was always hungry, since he only drank about two pints of blood a week, and his currently weakened state made that hunger so much worse.

He threw the knife away in disgust, and felt Alaric's neck for a pulse. Nothing.

"Where's the girl?"

Darwin froze and jerked his head around. The voice was coming from the parlour. He got to his feet and stumbled to the door. He took a step inside, but immediately had to lean on the door frame as his entire world went reeling.

The smell of blood and wolf was pounding him mercilessly, and he felt his grab on sanity loosening. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, beside their own bloody hearts.

"Holy crap!" he exclaimed loudly and three heads were turned towards him.

Damon was sitting chained to a chair, a collar with wooden nails in it was around his neck. Elijah was standing right in front of the door, his hand resting on the shoulder of a young man, who Darwin did not recognize.

"Oh, Jesus! Oh no ..."

"Relax, "Damon said in an annoyed tone, "you're projecting again."

Darwin held up his hands, as Elijah took a step forward. "Oh, no no, you don't!"

He was beginning to thoroughly loathe the sight of the cultured Original.

Elijah turned back to the young man, removing his hand from his shoulder and gesturing toward the door. "You are free to go."

The young man blinked at the Original a couple of times, then turned and ran, brushing past Darwin on his way out.

"Come here, Darwin, "Damon ordered, "help me out of these chains."

Darwin obeyed mechanically, walking over to Damon, grabbing the chains, and pulling. They tore apart easily. Then he helped Damon take off the collar without any further damage.

Elijah pulled out a white handkerchief and started wiping the blood off his hands. "You are strong, "he remarked.

"Yeah, that is neither here, nor there, "Darwin mumbled.

"Why don't you go up to bed? I'll take care of the mess." Damon pushed him toward the door.

"Alaric is dead, "Darwin told him thickly.

"He'll wake up soon, "Damon assured him, "he has a ring that brings him back to life."

"A what?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Go on up."

Darwin sent Elijah a doubtful look. "What were all those wolves doing here?"

"They were looking for the moonstone, "Damon was picking up the chains.

"And where is the moonstone?"

"Over there."

It was laying across the room on a table. He stared at it. He'd never actually seen it before. It was hard to believe that something so small could cause so much trouble.

"Right, "he went back to staring suspiciously at Elijah, who finally held up his hands.

"I'll go, if it makes you feel better." He went out the door in the other end of the room, picking up the moonstone on his way.

(Break)

Darwin woke up a few hours later to the sound of an incoming text message. He grabbed his cell phone and squinted at it in the dark.

New message from NIKLAUS.

He read the text and sighed, slowly getting out of bed. He put the cell phone back on the nightstand and started dressing. Then he went to the window and opened it, listening for any movement in Damon's room. Not a sound.

He climbed up on the windowsill and jumped out of the window.