And another trip down memory lane…enjoy! Again: possible spoilers! I am planning on writing two more chapters for this story…thank you for your reviews!
Chasing memories
Poorly executed, awesome ideas
Elena and Damon were still lying on her bed, his arm encircling her waist in a strong and comforting grip. Elena was trying to process all the memories flooding over her, when her stomach made a loud growling noise. The vampire at her side chuckled in delight at this so typically human sound and smugly remarked:
"Maybe we should catch up on that breakfast we missed this morning."
Elena wanted to shake her head as she had vowed not to leave the room before knowing everything. Still, the hole in her stomach was almost painful and so she carefully struggled out of Damon's embrace.
"Okay, but we are going to discuss the rest of my memories downstairs."
The twosome made its way into the kitchen and Damon immediately began to search through the fridge for anything useful. He soon announced:
"I'll make you pancakes."
Elena was unable to wipe the astonished smile off of her face as she observed Damon blurring through the kitchen, mixing the ingredients together in a matter of seconds. She momentarily wondered if this was what a relationship with him would be like. What kind of a boyfriend would he be? She giggled at the thought of Damon ever being called 'boyfriend' by anybody – somehow it didn't suit his reputation as the eternal stud and bad boy. Damon, who was now stirring the dough, cast her a curious look and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Elena chastised herself for the way her mouth went dry at his sight and tried to distract herself by getting back to the memories:
"So, Stefan wanted to sacrifice himself for me…"
/Flashback/
The days following her horrifying visit at the Boarding House had been hell for Elena. She had tried numerous times to talk to Stefan, but she was unable to reach him. He didn't answer his phone and he was always gone when she showed up in his room. So, Elena had no choice but to get her own plan in motion.
The first and most disagreeable step of her plan involved talking to Isobel, who had made herself at home in a nearby hotel. Elena's heart was beating painfully against her chest, when she knocked on her birthmother's room door. One of Isobel's minions opened and invited her in, all the while smiling sweetly. Her birthmother was seated in a black-leather armchair, her legs crossed and her face showing something close to curiosity. She tilted her head to the side:
"Hello Elena. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Elena stood awkwardly in the middle of the room and ignored Isobel's invitation to sit on a nearby sofa. Clearing her throat, she asked:
"How can you just take Stefan away from me? I can't lose him!"
Isobel laughed mockingly and shook her head, as if she couldn't believe her own daughter's stupidity.
"So you came here to beg for his life? It's too late…I gave you the opportunity to save him."
"He's the man I love, Isobel. Wouldn't you try to save Alaric if he were in this situation?"
The mention of the man she once loved and deep down still loved, angered Isobel. However, her features were soon again as cold and impassive as always:
"You are wasting your breath, Elena. And my time."
Tearing up, Elena pleaded:
"Can I at least say goodbye to him? Can you at least do me that one favor?"
"We're not going to have time for a long tearful goodbye when Klaus comes into town."
"Can you call me and let me see him one last time before you take him away to meet Klaus?"
Before Elena knew what was happening, Isobel stood right in front of her. Elena felt Isobel's hand forcing her chin up in an almost painful grip:
"No tricks. If you try anything –"
"I won't. I promise."
When Elena left, she didn't know whether she had really gotten through to Isobel, but it was her only chance. She had to somehow know when Klaus would come into town and that made tricking Isobel necessary. She knew that Isobel had probably only agreed to her request, because that way she would be able to keep track of her daughter's movements the day of Klaus' arrival.
The second step was a favour from Caroline. She invited the bubbly blonde to come over one afternoon and while they were both sitting on her bed, Elena asked the young vampire, whose life had lately not been a piece of cake either:
"Caroline, could you give me a vial of your blood?"
"What? Why? You want to turn?"
"No, Caroline. I can't tell you why I need it…but please, as my best friend, can you just trust me?"
The words slipped easily out of her mouth, but inside it still hurt Elena badly to abuse Caroline's trust and friendship to such an extent. Caroline left soon after fulfilling her wish, ignorant about the fact that phase 2 of Elena's plan to sacrifice herself had just been completed.
The next step was to say goodbye to everyone. So, from that day on, every time Elena was with a friend or her family, she silently said goodbye. She would try to enjoy every minute she spent with them, but always knew in the back of her mind that it could be the last time. The vial of Caroline's blood and the knife in the purse, which she now carried everywhere, were a constant reminder of that. Being around her loved ones was pure torture, but surprisingly it was the hardest with Damon. He came over a lot, especially at night, just before she went to bed. He came through the window and told her about his day. He told her about any progress and any setback he had made in finding out more about Klaus. Sometimes he just came to take her mind of things by telling her stories about his travels through Europe. No matter what he did, Elena always had a hard time fighting back the tears and pretending that she was doing fine. It hurt her how desperately he wanted to save her and it hurt her that she would eventually break him.
Not being able to say goodbye to Stefan was painful, too. However, sometimes, Elena couldn't help but be glad that she didn't have to face him. She wasn't sure whether she would have the energy to lie to him, too.
In the end, Klaus came two weeks after the meeting with Isobel at the Boarding House. As if Elena's fate wasn't cruel enough, he came the day she expected him least to show up.
It was the day, where the whole town was in frenzy about the 60's dance, which would take place in the evening. Together with Bonnie and Caroline, Elena spent the entire day getting ready for the Decade Dance. Caroline had picked Jackie Kennedy's famous pink suit with the pillbox hat, while Bonnie was wearing something a little less flashy. She had chosen a dress laced with flowers and persuaded Elena to wear an extremely short purple miniskirt.
Elena wasn't really looking forward to the ball, as she didn't have an escort. Stefan still avoided her successfully, but Damon had ensured Elena that he was doing well under the circumstances. Elena knew that Stefan was just as unable to face her as she was to face him, but it still pained her that he wouldn't be there for the dance. She remembered the 50's ball they had gone to and how he had impressed her with his dance moves.
Just as Elena fixed her hair-band, the doorbell rang and Caroline hurried to open it. To the girls' surprise, Matt and Jeremy weren't the only ones standing on Caroline's porch. Damon was there too, a smug smile on his face. Elena couldn't help but blush to the roots of her hair at the sight of the leather pants he was wearing. Caroline was the first one to regain the ability to speak:
"Damon, what are you doing here?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm escorting my favorite human to the dance."
Damon approached Elena and took her hand, enthusiastically twirling her around. He gave her outfit an approving nod and asked:
"Ready to take over the dance floor?"
It turned out that Damon's dance moves weren't so bad either. In fact, Elena hadn't had that much fun in a long time. In between her fits of laughter and the crazy show Damon and her pulled off on the dance floor, she almost completely forgot about the upcoming doom.
However, in the middle of 'I saw her standing there' by the Beatles, Elena's phone started ringing. Even before seeing the name on the screen, she knew who it was. She mumbled something about Stefan calling and made her way through the crowd, quickly trying to get away from Damon. As soon as she was out of the door, she picked up the phone. Isobel's bored voice immediately lamented:
"Well finally. Come over to the Boarding House now."
"I'll be right there."
Without throwing another glance behind her, Elena jumped into her car. However, instead of driving to the Boarding House, she speeded towards the old Salvatore lands. She'd only been there once before – back when Stefan had tried to explain his long life as a vampire to her. Elena felt the tears swell up in her at the thought of how long ago that all seemed now.
With squealing tires, she brought the car to a stop just in front of the two ruinous gateposts. Everything around her was pitch black, the darkness of the forest enveloping her in a threatening embrace. Elena couldn't explain it, but as soon as she left the car, she felt the vibe of another presence. She silently prayed that Isobel hadn't caught on to her deception.
The complete silence surrounding her slightly unnerved her, especially because her heart throbed that much louder. The gravel under her feet made traiterous crunching noises as Elena took a few steps forward, trying to discern something in the darkness. She wondered whether Katherine and Bonnie were already out here, as she hadn't seen her witch-friend at the ball anymore when she had left. Suddenly a very familiar voice resounded:
"I knew I'd find you here."
The body belonging to the voice appeared right in front of her just a couple of seconds later.
It was Damon.
"What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question."
Elena felt panic rising up in her and gripping Damon's shoulders, she pleaded:
"Damon, I need to save Stefan. Where is he?"
"He's safe. Katherine is luring Klaus in as we speak."
"What?"
"Yes. But if you are searching for them, than you should know that they aren't here. We told you the wrong site. The witches were actually slaughtered close to the old Lockwood mansion."
Elena gasped as realization dawned upon her:
"You knew what I would do?"
"You can't fool me."
Elena snorted in response and inquired, still not convinced:
"How did you get Katherine to take Stefan's place?"
"You're going to have to ask that boyfriend of yours about that."
"But what about Isobel? She – "
"Isobel may be the one with the information, but as soon as Klaus had arrived, she wasn't the powerful one anymore. Katherine is much older than her and had no problem incapacitating her."
"Is she going to succeed?"
"Katherine usually gets what she wants. Now, enough with the questions. Get in the car."
Elena only noticed how angry Damon really was when they were sitting in her car. Damon's hands were strangling the wheel and his eyes weren't the usual clear blue, but bloodshed and full of rage. He confirmed his emotional state when he snarled:
"So you were just going to leave us? You were just going to take the coward's way out?"
"I'm sorry."
Elena didn't even try to defend herself, knowing that nothing she would say could calm Damon. The older Salvatore brother spent indeed the entire ride home cussing and cursing, while Elena sank deeper and deeper into her seat. At one point he asked:
"What kind of suicidal plan did you actually have in mind this time?"
Elena hesitated before answering him, full aware of the fact that it would enrage him even further. Still, she owed him the truth:
"On the way over here, I drank a vial of Caroline's blood. I had a knife with me and I was planning on making a deal with Klaus by threatening him to turn myself. Since I would have been useless for the sacrifice as a vampire…"
Damon stared at her in disbelief:
"You were planning on turning?"
"I was hoping it wouldn't come to that. But I felt like Klaus would be easier to bargain with if I threatened to turn myself than if I just said I would kill myself. Maybe he would have still been able to use my blood, even if I'd been dead."
"What kind of a deal were you planning on making?"
"The same thing I made Elijah promise: to take me, but leave my friends and family unharmed."
"Are you saying that your masterplan involved Klaus staying alive?"
"There was no other solution…I knew I couldn't get Bonnie to do the spell with me there."
/End Flashback/
Elena was abruptly taken back to the present when Damon slid a plate with a deliciously looking pancake over to her. He sat down on a chair beside her and gave her a fork:
"Dig in, darling."
Elena smiled gratefully at him and didn't hesitate to fill her stomach with Damon's pancake. Between bites, she managed to remark:
"I just remembered that Stefan made a deal with Katherine."
"Aah yes, the juicy part. Definitely wasn't any fun when you confronted him about that."
Elena nodded as she remembered her own actions.
/Flashback/
Bonnie had been the one to deliver her the news: Klaus is dead.
Elena hadn't believed her at first. The day she had never even dared to hope for, had arrived after all. Elena was used to her brain going into overload because of bad news, but not because of good news. The emotions running through her were completely overwhelming. Till that day, Elena didn't even know that a human could feel so unbelievably happy, free and lightheaded as she had felt right then. Elena did however manage to ask:
"And Katherine?"
"She made it out, she survived."
There was clear regret in Bonnie's voice, who hated the bloodsucking vampire more than anything. Elena, however, was somehow glad that no one had to die for her, even if it was her evil look-alike. The days following Klaus' defeat passed by in a haze. Everyone needed time to digest the victory and they all assured themselves more than once that Klaus was really nothing more than a pile of dust.
Elena just enjoyed being able to spend time with Jenna and Jeremy, without having to worry about losing them. The whole world suddenly seemed a so much brighter and colorful place and Elena couldn't get enough of admiring it. She did however miss Damon, who suddenly didn't knock on her window anymore. At one point, Stefan came back into her mind and she realized that she had finally the strength to be with him again. She hoped that she could work things out with him, now that the horizon looked so much better.
Three days after Klaus' death she made her way over to the Boarding House, praying that she would for once find both Salvatore brothers there. As soon as she pushed the front door open, Damon appeared in front of her, smiling widely:
"And here I thought you had forgotten about me."
"I missed you."
It slipped out of Elena's mouth before she could stop it. Damon's eyes widened in surprise and he seemed to be speechless for a moment. Suddenly he turned around and revealed his brother, not standing far behind him. Damon smirked at the other vampire and dismissively mocked:
"How cute…she missed you. How anyone could miss that brooding forehead is beyond me though."
He threw Elena a quick glance, before disappearing into the parlor. Elena felt the lump in her throat forming instantly and had to concentrate on Stefan to keep herself from calling after Damon. She hoped that he'd only done it to save her from an awkward conversation with Stefan. She smiled tentatively at the younger Salvatore brother and greeted him shyly:
"Hi. How are you?"
Stefan approached her hesitantly and replied, his green eyes piercing into hers:
"I'm good. How about you?"
"I'm relieved, happy…I haven't felt like this in a long time. It's strange, not to have to worry about anybody's safety for once."
A glimmer of guilt appeared in Stefan's eyes as he said:
"I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. It was just hard –"
"It's okay, Stefan. We all survived, that's what matters."
It really wasn't okay, but Elena didn't want to argue with him. She didn't want to talk about what should have been, she only wanted to talk about their future. She hadn't dared to use the future tense in such a long time. Stefan seemed to want to continue explaining his behavior, but accepted Elena's refusal to listen. Instead he lifted his hand to her shoulder and softly caressed over it:
"It's good to see you."
Despite standing so close to each other, there was a huge distance between them. Elena couldn't help but feel like she was facing a stranger. Still, she smiled bravely up to him and asked:
"We should do something. Maybe leave Mystic Falls for a couple days to get some alone time."
As soon as she had proposed this, Stefan's face was overshadowed by multiple emotions and the guilt in his eyes turned from a glimmer into a burning flame. His voice was rough when he replied:
"I'm sorry, I can't. I promised some old friends to visit them as soon as I could. I…I know that this is an awful time. But…I couldn't come up with another excuse when they called me and so I agreed to come."
Stefan had apparently realized that he was babbling, because he abruptly stopped. Elena was completely taken aback by the fact that Stefan was outright lying to her. What was he hiding from her? What didn't he want to tell her? She was so confused that she only said:
"Yeah, okay. When are you leaving?"
"This afternoon."
"When will you come back?"
"I don't know yet. I will do my best to return as soon as possible."
Elena suddenly knew what bugged her so much: there was defeat in his voice. The defeat had been there since she had entered the Boarding House. In the last days, Elena had only talked to people who were over the moon because of the victory over Klaus. Stefan's demeanor however didn't show one trace of that happiness.
"I still need to pack my suitcase. I should go…"
Stefan awkwardly turned around to go upstairs, when Elena stopped him:
"Stefan, what kind of a deal did you make with Katherine?"
"What? I didn't make a deal with her."
"But, Damon said that you somehow got her to take your place."
Stefan bitterly dismissed this:
"She actually didn't want anything in return. She knew that she had a chance to survive, since she's that much stronger and faster."
"Okay…well, I'll just go into the living room. Maybe we can talk when your suitcase is packed."
The vampire nodded and fled out of the vestibule, rapidly climbing the stairs. For the first time since Klaus' defeat, Elena felt powerless once more. She trotted into the living room and almost turned around again, when she saw Damon standing by one of the tables, in his hands a glass filled with Bourbon. She didn't want to have to answer something like 'Trouble in paradise?', she didn't want see his gloating face. However, Damon surprised her by silently handing her his glass, his face slightly concerned.
Elena drank the alcohol before thinking twice about it, trying to wash away the bad taste the conversation with her boyfriend had left behind. Stefan and her had been such a strong couple and she didn't understand how they had ended up not being able to talk to eachother. There had been a time where she had thought that nothing could tear them apart, but she had obviously fooled herself. She whispered:
"Why is he leaving?"
"Elena, it's not my place to tell you that."
She was on the verge of tears now and begged:
"Please, Damon."
Damon threw his head back in exasperation, hating how much seeing Elena hurt, affected him. He sighed dramatically:
"Because Katherine asked him to."
/End Flashback/
A/N: Is it too confusing? Somehow it was so much simpler in my mind^^ Anyway, I know I didn't explain Klaus' death in anymore detail, but I felt like that would have just been too much. I hope it still somehow makes sense…in the next chapter Elena finally remembers the accident.