Chapter 10: I'll Be Seeing You
Elena and Emily walked around the maze leisurely. "I see you've made your decision." Emily commented.
Elena nodded. "I have. I love Damon…and he needs his brother. I can't leave here knowing I'll never see him again." She explained casting a glance at Damon who was playing football with Stefan. She turned to the witch. "Emily I need a favor…you spelled Katherine's necklace, didn't you?"
Emily nodded once. "I did."
Elena fingered the necklace gently. "In my time Damon and Stefan had rings made of the same stone as this." She could see the wheels turning in Emily's head, and the words of rejection about to be said. "Please Emily…I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't important to me." She begged.
Emily considered it for a moment. The woman before was not Katherine…she didn't have any devious plan behind her request. She just wanted to be with the man she loved. "Alright…" Out of the corner of her eye Emily saw Giuseppe usher Jonathan Gilbert and William Forbes into the manor. "You should be more careful when you feed in town. The council is getting suspicious."
Elena bowed her head shyly. "Damon has been-um…I haven't gone out to feed in a while." She mumbled. For the past while Damon had been feeding her so she wouldn't have to go into town. He was willingly giving her his blood during their heated moments.
Emily's brow frowned as she looked around her cautiously. "Then there are other vampires here."
Elena's looked at her curiously. "What's the council?" She remembered Damon saying her ancestor Jonathan Gilbert was on it, but she never asked what is was.
"One member of each founding family; collectively they hunt vampires."
Elena stopped walking when they exited the maze and stood in front of the Salvatore manor. "But the Salvatore's…" she started.
"Giuseppe leads the council, I only found out yesterday."
"What!" Elena whispered in shock. She'd been living under the nose of a vampire hunter this whole time.
"He doesn't suspect you. You walk in the daylight…they are unaware that it is possible." Emily reassured.
Elena exhaled a shaky breath. "Emily this is bad, what am I going to do?"
"Be very careful." The witch warned.
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Damon and Stefan stepped into their father's study an hour later. "What is it Father?" Stefan asked.
Giuseppe stood from his chair and waved a hand at Damon. "Close the door." He came to stand in front of his sons with a glass in his hand. "The town is in danger." He stated gravely.
Damon frowned. "In danger of what?"
Giuseppe finished the rest of his drink before walking to the wet bar and poured to glasses for Damon and Stefan. "There are evil beings walking amongst us, pretending to be our friends and feeding on the townspeople." Giuseppe paced to the window and turning his back on his sons.
Stefan and Damon shared a quick glance out of the corner of their eyes. "Feeding?" Damon questioned with false innocence. His eyes told Stefan not to say anything about Elena, although he didn't know that he couldn't anyway due to Elena's compulsion.
Their Father turned back around sharply. "Vampires, Damon…living right under our noses. The Council is assembling a plan to rid the town of them."
"Is that safe, Father?" Stefan asked quietly. "If vampires are real, should we really be plotting against them?" He was scared what they would do to Katherine if they ever found out what she was.
"We have no other choice son." Giuseppe asserted firmly. "Action must be taken in order to keep our families safe." He nodded to the drink in their hands. "That is my finest bourbon, so you best not waste it." Damon and Stefan promptly finished their drinks. "Now I am expecting William and Jonathan back any moment, take your leave and speak of this to no one." He insisted.
"Yes father." Damon replied. Both brothers placed their empty glasses down and exited Giuseppe's study. Damon knew that he would tell Elena everything that his father told him; his loyalty lied with her above all else.
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It was later that night when Damon lay comfortably next to Elena, basking in the euphoria of their lovemaking. He had told her about the conversation with his father and Elena told she would be careful to not be found out.
Damon twirled a lock of her hair around his finger, amazed by the silky softness of it, as Elena drew intricate patterns on his bare chest with her fingers. When Elena felt her face shift, she darted to the other side of the room and took a calming breath.
Damon was becoming accustomed to seeing this, knowing that her control waned around him. "Elena, you haven't fed all day." He commented concernedly. He sat up on his elbows watching Elena slip into her under dress. She was starting to get the hang of doing it on her own. He in turn pulled on his slacks, not bothering to put on a shirt or slip the suspenders over his shoulders. She figured it would be easier to control herself if his heated skin wasn't naked against hers, enticing her with the pulsing of his blood.
Once she was done she glided back into the bed with him. "I'm fine Damon….I just want to lay here with you." She rested her head on his chest again, his heart beat comforting her.
His hand grazed the side of her slightly paler cheek. "You need to keep your strength up. If my father suspects anything he'll take you away from me." He protested sadly. The thought of that alone gave him a sinking feeling in his heart.
Elena smirked to herself before flipping on top of him straddling his waist. "My strength is fine." She brushed her lips against his speaking softly. "I love you."
Damon tucked the waves of chestnut tresses behind her ear tenderly. "I love you…even eternity will not be enough." He vowed devotedly.
Elena broke out in a smile. "You are never this cheesy in the future." She commented. She found it adorable and touching that he felt so dearly for her, but the Damon she knew was not one to speak so freely about his emotions.
He frowned deeply in confusion. "Cheesy?"
"Mushy, sappy." She reiterated knowing he still wouldn't understand. It was so weird that she was explaining to him words that didn't even exist yet.
Damon shook his head. "I'm not familiar with these words."
"It's okay…it doesn't matter here." Elena lowers her head and kisses him passionately, relishing in the way his arms wrapped around her, tunneling in her hair and holding her close to him.
Never had she felt a passion like this before; the basic need to be close, so close that they were one form. Elena's hips moved against his, both moaning in unrestrained ardor. Damon's kisses traveled down her neck and collarbone, causing Elena to gasp and tilt her head to give him better access. When his teeth nipped at her skin, her veins popped out under her eyes and her fangs descended. Elena placed a hand on his chest to stop him, and took a second to push back her hunger for him.
Damon noticed her red eyes, and the sharpness of her teeth, and stroked her face, watching as the veins receded at his touch. "Please Elena…" he tilted his head to the side offering her his neck. He wanted so badly to help her, to share the special exchange of blood. In the past few days he had become enthused to offer her his blood and take hers as well. It connected them in a way that superseded any human action of love.
Elena stared down at him with lust and love in her eyes before focusing on her pulse point. She brought force her face once again and was happy to see the smile on Damon's face instead of fear. He loved her…all of her; even her demon. That gave her the encouragement she needed to bring her mouth down and gently penetrate his skin with her fangs.
The moment was sensual, and if Damon's bucking of his hips said anything, he was enjoying it. Elena took two long pulls before detaching herself, sputtering and chocking on his tainted blood. Damon saw the look of pain and surprise on her face, her lips stained in his blood as she stumbled off him.
He sat up immediately despite the dizziness of blood loss. "Elena!" he clamored to the floor where she laid choking and gasping for unneeded breath. "What's wrong? Elena?" his voice rose with her lack of response.
Her eyes caught his frightened. "Vervain…get Emily." She rasped.
Damon held her in his arms, unwilling to let her go and unsure of what to do. His head turned to the door that slammed open and stared wide eyed at his father and the officers with him.
"Grab her, restrain her and lock her up, we've got another one." Giuseppe barked his orders from the doorway. The officers pulled Elena out of his arms and roughly bound her arms and legs.
"Damon…" she called out weakly, before they put a contraption over her head to keep her from using her weapon.
"Elena!" he cried, struggling against the men holding him. "Father, no, what are you doing!" he screamed watching as they pulled her out of the room. He moved to go after her but Giuseppe pinning him against the wall, three men holding him there.
"She's a monster Damon!" he hollered. "She seduced you and Stefan with her prowess and you fell for it like a fool!"
Damon shook his head; he knew it was more than that…Elena loved him. "I love her Father, please don't do this." He begged.
Giuseppe shook his head in disgust. "How can you love something like that? I knew she had you fooled that's why I had to take matters into my own hands…tonight she will burn in the church with the rest of them."
Damon's face turned cold and full of rage. "Then I will die with her." He pulled out of the officer's grasp and ran to Emily's room. It was in the lower levels of the boarding house, and he barged in seeing her frantically whipping through the pages of the grimoire. "Emily! They took her…they took Elena." He rushed out. "They're going to burn them in the church."
Emily's eyes met his. She saw the fear and tears slipping down his cheeks and knew she would do what she could to assure him. "Yes I heard. I'm already conjuring up a spell to keep her safe." She told him calmly. "You need not worry, Damon. Go alert Stefan and keep him away from Elena…he doesn't need to get caught up in this." She stated firmly.
Damon nodded, casting one last look at Emily, pleading with his eyes for her to protect her. He ran back to the manor, and searched the house for his brother, but his room was empty and so was the rest of the house. He ran out the front door and stopped for a moment to scope the grounds. In his eagerness to find his brother and his fear for Elena's safety, he didn't notice the carnage going on around him. People were everywhere and in the distance he spotted officers hauling limp bodies into Fell's Church. He ran as fast as he could towards the commotion and caught movement by the edge of the woods. It was Stefan, creeping towards a carriage. He knew immediately that Elena was in there.
He ran down the hill, seeing Stefan punch the officer guarding the carriage and taking his keys off his belt.
"Stefan!" he called out in a hushed tone. "What are you doing?"
Stefan opened the cage. "I'm saving Katherine, we can't let them kill her." He reached in and pulled her out and Damon helped although in the back of his mind he remembered Emily's words.
Bringing Elena's weak body to the ground, Damon and Stefan worked on releasing her from her binds. "Emily is protecting her, Elena will be safe." He told his brother carelessly forgetting to use Katherine's name. He unlocked the cage around her mouth and tossed it to the side.
Stefan frowned, momentarily distracted. "Elena?"
"Damon…?" Elena's fragile voice reached out, opening her eyes and fixing them on him.
He smiled reassuringly. "You're going to be okay, I promise." He vowed, stroking her cheek lovingly. He pulled her into his arms and the brothers headed towards the woods.
A shot rang out and Stefan dropped to the ground. Two more resounded and Damon realized that he had been shot. He dropped to his knees, with Elena still in his arms, hearing her cries. Another shot. He let out a grunted breath as he collapsed to the ground.
Elena crawled over to him, fighting the weakness of the vervain in her system. "No, no…" she whispered to herself as tears tracked down her face. She knew he'd come back, but seeing him dying in front of her was breaking her heart. She touched his face; his eyes and lips his cheeks with trembling hands. "Damon..." she could hear his heart beat fading.
His eyes opened slowly. "I love you Elena…" he whispered reaching up slowly to grip her hand with the last of his strength.
She sobbed, holding his hand in both of hers. "I love you too…I'll be seeing you." She sighed as his eyes closed again and his grip loosened. She was vaguely aware that she was being hauled up and dragged away from Damon, she didn't protest, she just looked at him one last time.
It was all a blur. She was so focused on her last image of Damon dying in her arms to realize she was being thrown in the church. She started to struggle but she was still weak. The doors slammed in her face, and she screamed and hollered for Damon knowing it was a fruitless effort. She looked around her and noticed she was the only one conscious…all the other vampires were carelessly laying on the floor, some wounded, some of the weaker ones ashen with death, and others looking like they were just asleep.
Panic set in. She threw herself at the doors, kicking and punching, sobbing for her life. But she stopped when her nose picked up on something. Smoke. They had set the church on fire. In a matter of seconds she saw a bottle stuffed with a flaming white handkerchief fly through the window igniting the inside of the church with the bright orange flames. She stumbled to get away from the flames that were quickly engulfing the church.
"Elena." A voice resounded and echoed off the walls.
Elena stayed low to the ground, looking around for the owner of that voice. "Emily?"
"Go to the back of the church and find the staircase on the right." Her voice echoed again.
Elena looked around wildly through the smoke and flames. "Where are you?" she called out.
"Go now. Down the staircase is a tomb. Stay there and you will be safe."
The clarity of her voice told Elena that she wasn't here with her. It must be a spell she thought to herself. She got to her feet and as quickly as she could, made her way to the back of the church. She found the stairs but in her haste to get down them she tripped over her skirts and tumbled down them creating a huge gash in her abdomen, tearing her corset open on a sharp edge of rock.
She held her stomach as blood spilled from it, and pushed open the stone wall of the tomb with the other hand. She stumbled in, using both hands to support her on the rock walls. She took a relieved sigh when she realized she was safe from the fire. For extra precaution she sealed herself in with the stone wall and coward to the back of the tomb, huddling up in a corner and bringing her knees in. The pain in her stomach still hurt, and she wasn't able to heal herself as quickly with the vervain still in her system, but she was safe.
She cried silently, listening to the shrieks and screams from the vampires above burning to death. She felt bad for them. No one deserved to die like that…it was so painful and inhumane…yet it was the humans that decided this was their fate. She thought about Damon and Stefan. She knew Emily would protect them as she protected her, but the image of Damon dead in her arms haunted her.
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A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! They make me so happy. There's chapter 10 for you, and the next chapter it's back to 2010 with one or two more flashbacks! This story is almost over, I'm thinking maybe two or three more chapters but I've got a big surprise in store for the next chapter so stay tuned!
I know you guys want to know what Katherine is up to in New Orleans but she's not important right now. I'd rather focus on what's happening with Elena, Damon and Stefan so you'll have to wait to find out what's going on with that part of the story.
Next chapter we'll be seeing a change in Damon and Stefan, Stefan especially. And I'm looking forward to writing it, hopefully it turns out good! Thanx for reading guys, and leave me a review or ask me questions about things you're unclear about…I'd be happy to answer them!