*crawls up to computer screen* So…I'm finally back. I'm dreadfully sorry I keep breaking my promises to you guys, I really was going to update Monday. Alas, time escaped me yet again. I feel terrible, especially since I promised Ms. Zoraya Windwalker another chapter before she left (I failed you, please don't hate me now). Thanksgiving holidays are coming up this week though, so I ought to update faster next time around. My muse has also been persnickety, probably a symptom of the withdrawals I'm suffering from the show's painfully long hiatus. I can't wait until December 2nd! I'll shut up now and get to writing. On with it!

Chapter 10: Crossfire

… … …

I forgot all about the storm outside

Dark clouds roll their way over town

Heartache and pain come pouring down like

Chaos in the rain

And we're caught in the crossfire

Of heaven and hell

And we're searching for shelter…

… … …

Previously:

... Elena couldn't rip her eyes away from the shaggy, hulking black wolf that crouched in front of them, its hackles up and teeth bared. It had to be at least five feet tall from heel to shoulder, and its amber eyes flashed at them menacingly.

…"Well…I've never heard anything about werewolves, but Isobel found some information once about some creatures called 'shapeshifters' that have some similarities to werewolves." Alaric fell silent for a few moments. "Damon, where ever you are, if you don't want to die a nasty, painful death, you need to get out of there."

…"Damon, there's no way you can meet a shapeshifter when it's not in wolf form." Alaric said, his voice heavy with foreboding.

"And why not?" Damon inquired impertinently.

"Because shapeshifters aren't people that turn into wolves…they're demons." Alaric's voice dropped at the last word.

…"What's going to happen to us?" Elena whispered meekly.

Her voice seemed to snap him back to life, his clear blue eyes dark and flashing.

"We're going to get out of here," he answered, dragging the suitcase out from underneath the bed and plopping it down at Elena's feet. "We're going home."

"To Mystic Falls?" She asked, her voice daring to be hopeful.

"To Mystic Falls," he affirmed.

…. She didn't really want to hurt Stefan, but she knew it was too late now. The other brother had stolen her heart and run with it, and she couldn't help but to follow him with reckless abandon. Damon needed to be chosen for once in his existence; he needed to be loved. And Elena wanted to be the one to do it.

…. Damon was glad Elena had fallen asleep; that way she couldn't see the black, wolf-like shadows running through the woods alongside the car. He accelerated, knowing it was a futile attempt to outrun them, but he still tried anyway.

… … …

Damon slowly pulled into the driveway of the boarding house, his eyes darting from side to side in search of suspicious black shadows. Seeing nothing, but not quite satisfied, he sped around to the passenger side and quietly opened the door, lifting a sleeping Elena gently from the seat and into his arms. Kicking the door shut with his heel, he locked the car and headed toward the house, the gravel crunching under his shoes. Elena stirred, her eyes flickering as she wrapped her arms around Damon's neck and tucked her face into his shoulder. He held her even closer as he stepped through the front door, locking it tightly behind them. Still holding Elena, he leaned down to turn on a lamp. The dim light cast eerie shadows in the cavernous parlor, and Damon's super-senses prickled. He went rigid as he heard a shuffling sound, then relaxed, releasing an exaggerated sigh.

"What is it, baby brother?"

Stefan darted around to face Damon, his eyes immediately falling to Elena.

"What's wrong with her? Is she hurt? Damon, what did you do to her?" an edge crept into Stefan's voice at his last sentence.

Damon's eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm offended you would accuse me of such a thing, Stefan. Where'd your inner southern gentleman go?" Damon rolled his eyes. "She's just sleeping. I'll even put her down if you'd like." Damon ambled over to the luxurious couch and eased her onto the cushions, snatching up a blanket at her feet and spreading it over her. She mumbled incoherently in her sleep and rolled over, clutching the blanket up to her chin. Both brothers gazed at her for a lingering moment before looking back at each other, guarded expressions gracing both vampires' features.

"Where've you been, Damon?" Stefan asked in a resigned, tired voice, settling into an armchair across from Elena.

Damon shrugged. "Oh, you know. Here and there."

"How the hell did Elena find you?"

"Apparently she got her little friend to get her witchy-witchy mojo on and find me through a locator spell."

Stefan lifted a brooding eyebrow, frowning. "And why did you come back with her?" he asked coldly.

"We didn't exactly have a choice," Damon answered evasively, turning to face the empty, dark fireplace.

"I have a feeling I don't want to hear the answer to what I'm about to ask, but I know I have to. What's going on, Damon?" Stefan asked cautiously.

Damon tilted his head to the side, deliberating. He decided there was no way he could make it sound better, so he spat out the truth. "Elena and I are being follow by demonic wolf-like creatures that are out to get us," he declared bluntly. No matter how much effort he put into sounding nonchalant, he couldn't stop the hairs from standing up on the back of his neck. He glanced over at Elena impulsively, feeling a sense of paranoia creep up his spine.

Stefan was silent, Damon's words slicing through him. Demons. Surely he hadn't heard right. "What was that you said that's following you?"

"You heard me," Damon muttered, turning back to face his brother. "Actually, Alaric says the little buggers are called shapeshifters, and they're nothing like werewolves aside from the fact that they're, well, massive wolves. They can run around in the day-time, and you can't kill them with silver. I'm not sure if you can kill them at all. They're demons." Damon finished matter-of-factly.

Stefan slowly shook his head in disbelief. "What on earth could you have done to get a pack of them out to get you, Damon? I know pissing people off is a particular pastime of yours, but it was never anything like this."

"I don't know, Stefan, I really don't. I've never heard of these bastards until today, much less pissed one off!" Frustration crept into his voice, and Damon's knuckles whitened as he clenched his hands into fists. Stefan was taken aback. He wasn't used to seeing his in-control, devil-may-care older brother so close to giving in to panic. To be honest, he was scared. Something infinitely more evil than them was thirsting for their blood, and he was powerless to stop it.

Damon ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "I'm going to talk to Ric tomorrow about all of this. He's the one that told me about them in the first place. Maybe we can figure out why the hell these creatures have it in for Elena and me in the first place. And that'll give her a chance to try and smooth things over with Jenna, considering she's been gone for almost a week without contacting her…yeah you might want to go with her in case she needs a little extra help, if you know what I mean. Can you handle that on the bunny diet, Stef?"

Stefan was silent. "Okay, maybe not. Never mind, it'll work out, little bro." Damon said unconvincingly, patting Stefan on the shoulder and giving Elena one last glance before heading for the stairs. He desperately wanted to kiss her cheek and whisper good night in her ear, but he checked himself, remembering that she was technically with Stefan. He disappeared into his room and collapsed onto the bed, thoroughly exhausted. He would love nothing more than to get a good night's sleep in before everything got worse, like it always does, but he couldn't bring himself to shut his eyes. He didn't know the power he was up against, and he knew he wouldn't be able to rest easy until he did.

… … …

Stefan dragged his chair over to the head of the couch, watching Elena sleep. She had finally stopped tossing and turning, and seemed to be resting somewhat peacefully. He suddenly heard a baleful howling from the woods behind the house, shooting ice through his veins. He leaned protectively closer to Elena, his jaw clenched. These terrible creatures were after his girlfriend, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Damon's words from earlier rang in his head: "Can you handle that on the bunny diet?" His eyes widening, Stefan realized it wasn't going to be enough anymore. If he couldn't fight, he was useless. Good for nothing. He found his feet carrying him across the room and down the stairs to the cellar. He blinked and was suddenly standing in front of the blood bank supply cooler. He slowly lifted the lid, cringing at the deafening creak of the hinges. His fingers found their way around a bag of AB negative, and he tore it open, tipping it back to drain it of its contents. As soon as the thick, cool liquid reached his throat, his entire body felt as if it were singing with electric currents. He finished it off within seconds, tossing it to the side and tearing open another. He repeated the process four times before closing the lid of the cooler, feeling powerful and satiated. Grinning to himself, he ascended the stairwell and quietly closed the door, striding across the room and settling down next to Elena once more.

… … …

Elena relaxed in her sleep, succumbing once again to her blissful dreamland in the snow.

Elena fell back against the powdery snow, a huge grin spreading across her flushed cheeks. Sighing, she spread her arms wide and stretched out her legs, sliding them back and forth over the snow to make a snow angel. Satisfied, she relaxed into the snow, closing her eyes. She felt the snowflakes melting on her cheeks, and she turned her head to the side. Her eyes opened to be filled with the vision of blazing blue, framed by thick dark lashes. He pulled back a little, a crooked smile twisting on his face. His hand reached up to tuck a piece of hear behind her ear, and Elena suddenly felt warmer. He blinked slowly, tilting his head to the side and running the backs of his fingers down her cheekbone. Elena bit back a smile of pleasure, not able to stop herself from whispering…

… … …

"Damon…" Elena mumbled in her sleep, leaning into the hand running brushing her face. Stefan froze, snatching his hand back. Elena rolled away from him, settling back into the couch and still sound asleep. All of the human blood in Stefan's veins felt as if it were boiling. Something had happened between his brother and Elena, he just knew it. And he couldn't believe it. His sweet, loyal, level-headed Elena had fallen into another one of Damon's despicable traps. She was blind to what he really was. Stefan clenched his fists, resisting the urge to demolish the parlor with his new-found power. A vein in his neck twitching, he shot Elena an embittered look before rising to go. All thoughts of impending doom and shapeshifters fled his mind, and were replaced by jealous fury. He wasn't going to let this happen, if he had to take care of those two himself. He would bring Elena back to him. As it should be. There was no other option.

… … …

And the shit is about to hit the fan. We have a blood-lust crazed, jealous Stefan, a worried Damon, and poor Elena caught in between, with shape shifting demons out to get them, as well as a pissed-off aunt and a betrayed witch waiting in the wings. Things should get interesting. Once again, I'm terribly sorry to keep you waiting. Forgive me and leave a review? You guys have not yet failed to overwhelm me with such a supportive and incredible response, and reviews are one of the few things I look forward to every day. Thanks so much for being the absolute best! Let me know what you think about how this is turning out. I also apologize for this being shorter than usual, but I'm quite pressed for time and hope to make it up to you this coming weekend. Lots of Love, and see you at chapter 11!