Luciana Bennett came from a long line of powerful witches, but unlike other witches she managed to stay alive a lot longer. She was a distant relative of Emily Bennett and Luciana's husband had the misfortune of getting on the wrong side of a vampire.
The year was 1912; the run-down bar in a desolate town was empty all apart from a bartender, Sebastian, and a dark haired man, slouched on a barstool, twirling the contents of his drink around slowly every now and then taking a sip.
Sebastian was growing tired, the night had come and still the man stayed perched on the barstool content on finishing his drink before he left.
Sebastian sighed in frustration as the man put down his glass and just sat looking intently at the cracks in the stained wall. All he wanted was to get home to his newly-wed wife. "We're closing up soon" he said finally but the man's blue eyes seemed to just skim past him, as he looked into the depths of his drink.
"I said we're closing up soon" his hands came down onto the bar but still the man refused to look up. He reached out to take his drink but the man's hand grabbed his wrist, so quickly he didn't see it move. As the vice-like grip clenched around his arm a chill went all the way through his body, warning lights flashed behind his eyes.
"Vampire" he said without having to think twice about it he just knew. It might have been because he was married to a witch and she had warned him about them, or maybe because the look in the vampire's steel blue eyes was anything but humanly.
The vampire's lips quirked up into a lob-sided grin, his head tilting to the side as he looked at the worn-out man before him, wondering if it really was that obvious that he wasn't like the other men around this town. He dropped his hold on his arm, pulling his drink back and bringing it to his lips, his eyes never leaving Sebastian's.
"We don't want your kind around here" Sebastian warned holding his ground firmly, though his hands were started to sweat.
"I'm still thirsty" he said sliding his now empty glass towards Sebastian.
"Then you'll have to go to another bar, because I'm not giving you a re-fill" Sebastian wished his wife we're here. He didn't like to have to depend on her in these situations he wanted to be the one to protect her but she was so much stronger, he was only human after all.
"Who said I wanted a re-fill?" the man asked, rising to his feet with a predatory smile. His eyes fixed intently on the prize; Sebastian's neck.
Sebastian backed away slowly until his back hit against the wall, the vampire hoisted himself over the bar, walking purposefully slow, he was going to enjoy this.
"Stay back" Sebastian demanded, grabbing the closest thing to him; an empty glass bottle. He smashed it against the side of the bar, his hand shaking as he held it out in front of him to the advancing vampire.
In the time it took him to blink, Sebastian was pushed with great force against the wall; the bottle that was in his hand was now pressed against his own neck along with a hand firmly placed against his throat.
The sharp edges of the glass pressed into his neck, with a little less force than would penetrate through the skin, "Hasn't anyone told you not to threaten a vampire?" the veins below the vampire's eyes had become prominent, his eyes were framed with a frightening red but what scared Sebastian the most was the gleam of the vampire's razor sharp teeth.
"Guess I'm just going to have to teach you a lesson" Damon said before lowering his teeth to the man's neck and draining him dry.
…
"What does she mean? What deal did you make with Katherine?"
Damon turned to look at Elena's questioning gaze, but wasn't able to look her in the eye. "Don't listen to her, she doesn't know what she's talking about" his eyes blazed with hatred as he glared at Luciana.
The look in his eyes reminded Luciana of a time she still had nightmares about. She had been worried about her husband, she had the dinner prepared and he still wasn't home so she went to his bar, she took the long way as the night had a warm comforting breeze, but she regretted not taking the short cut to this very day. If she had of then maybe she would have gotten to her husband in time. Instead though she found him lying cold on the floor, not an ounce of blood left in his body.
She stayed there all night, cradling his lifeless body in her arms, promising to find the one who did this to him. She had come close to killing Damon before, until his brother showed up and they both managed to escape, but that was years ago, she was stronger now. So when Katherine came to her for help, she was more than willing because letting Elena die would mean Damon would know how it felt to know the one you loved has died and you weren't able to do anything about it.
"Are you saying you didn't tell Katherine you could get Elena to tell you she loves you, and that you won't get out of here unless she does?" Luciana asked.
"Damon?" Elena asked quietly, the look she gave him so guarded he couldn't tell what she was possibly thinking.
The guilt in his eyes was all Elena needed to confirm Luciana's words.
"It's not like that" he protested but Elena had turned away, finding it hard to get oxygen into her lungs, a pain grew in her chest as she fought of tears. Tears of anger, regret and betrayal were all threatening to overtake her, and break her down from where she stood. She didn't know why it hurt so much, Damon had done so much worse than this before, but somehow this time was different, she felt used. So much so that she felt filthy, she just couldn't look at him right now, because she knew if she looked into those perfectly blue eyes she would see herself reflected in them and right now she couldn't stand to look at herself because she felt like just another mindless girl Damon's decided to mess with.
"Elena" his voice sounded so broken and defeated, that it took all she had not to turn around and scream at him to stop lying and putting on an act, pretending like he cared about her at all.
"I guess I'll leave you to it" Luciana said, her work her now done. Damon would have slammed her into the closest wall if she hadn't of disappeared, she was all but an image this whole time, probably while sitting in the comfort of her own home. She had stayed alive for more than a hundred years through channelling other witches energy, obsessed with one thing; revenge.
Damon moved forward, his hand reached out towards Elena's shoulder but then let it drop before he touched her. "I can explain"
"Save it" she spat, she wasn't going to cry, no, her tears would not be wasted on someone who couldn't give a damn about her. She whirled around violently, the Petrova fire burning brightly in her eyes and carrying through into her voice, "You do not own me, and you can't make me say anything"
"I didn't want it to be like this, I didn't ask her to do this. She made me do this, Elena, you have to believe me" he took her face in his hands, willing her to understand.
She looked in his eyes; the brightness in her eyes became cold and hard, her voice low "No, I won't believe you. You're not worthy of my trust anymore. I'd rather die than say that I love you"
His hands dropped to his sides, after a few seconds of looking at her unwavering gaze.
He remembered all the times he had ever been staked, stabbed and shot, and all those times put together would have felt a lot less painful than what he was feeling now.
His head lowered, because he couldn't take anymore of it, the look in her eyes would be forever embedded in his mind. Feeling destroyed by the look of repulsion in the eyes of the only person he ever cared about, ever truly loved.
He nodded mutely, more to himself, he had to accept it now, he was fighting a losing battle, and he couldn't save her not when she didn't want to be saved.
The pain so clearly shown on his face, made Elena doubt herself for a second, but just for a second. She wanted to believe that he felt something for her, something more than just blood lust and the need to take something that belongs to his brother but she was just another chess piece in his game.
In the silence of a cold basement they both turned away from each other at the same time. With a feeling of loss, as she turned away, Elena realised in that second just how much she loved him, and she hated herself for it.
…
Stefan and Bonnie leaned over the map of Mystic Falls, the last drops of Elena's blood that Stefan had left trailed slowly along the paper. They both waited, holding their breaths as the blood stopped, then in unison they exhaled sharply.
The blood had stopped right over Bonnie's house, they exchanged a shocked look for a brief second before Stefan blurred up the stairs, finding all the rooms empty he made his way to the basement, as Bonnie ran after him. The door was locked, and even when he tried to break it down it won't move.
"There's a spell on the room" Bonnie pushed past him, her hand pressed lightly against the door knob and she could feel the vibrations of magic emanating from it.
"Elena?" she called out.
…
"Elena?"
Damon and Elena looked to the door at the same time. Elena had spent the night with her knees pulled to her chest sitting on an old lawn chair, while Damon sat at the opposite end of the room, his back pressed against the wall and head leaning back. Neither one of them having got any sleep.
"Bonnie?" Elena asked her voice sounding hopefully as she stood and moved closer to the door.
"Elena!" Bonnie sounded relieved, "Thank God you're alright, don't worry, I'll get you out of there"
"Where's Stefan?" Elena asked, knowing that while she was locked up in here Katherine was walking around town, free.
"I'm here, Elena" his head was pressed against the door his eyes closed, "She's right, we'll get you out of there"
Damon rolled his eyes "I doubt it" he said, speaking for the first time but still remaining on the floor.
"Damon, what have you done?" Stefan practically growled at the sound of his brother's voice.
"It's Luciana, she's back and she's now best friends with Katherine" he said his voice projecting a fake joy.
Stefan tensed, and Bonnie eyed him with a look of confusion.
"I'll find her, Elena and I'll find a way to get you out" Stefan promised.
"I already know how to get out" Elena said, not looking at Damon.
"You do? How?" he asked his eyes opening and boring into the oak wood.
"Stefan" she sighed, her hand reached out to touch the door, even though she knew she couldn't see him, hot tears filled her eyes, "I'm not going to do it I can't. I hope you forgive me one day, but I can't choose." Elena didn't realise that Damon wouldn't get out unless she said it, she just took for granted that when she died the curse would be lifted, if she had of known things would be different.
Now though she felt the weight of pressure crushing her. She couldn't choose between them, it was either get out by telling Damon she loved him while betraying Stefan in the process, or staying in and dying, which now seemed a much easier thing to do.
"Wait, Elena, slow down what are you talking about?" Stefan urged as Damon's hand's involuntarily clenched.
"I want you to leave, just forget about me, I'm not going to say it someday I hope you'll understand why"
"Elena, what are you saying, you can't say what?"
"This is goodbye, Stefan" her voice broke off and Damon turned towards the wall, unable to hear the pain in her voice, the pain that he had put there.
…
"Elena, don't say that, you'll get out of there" Stefan begged, but she didn't respond, he fell back against the wall, and slumped downwards. His head in his hands, they had gotten through so much together now she was just giving up her life like it meant nothing.
Bonnie kneeled beside him, "If I know more about the spell I may be able to break it, but we need to hurry"
He nodded, "Looks like we'll be paying Katherine a visit"
…
The smashed window didn't allow them to get out but that didn't stop the cold air from seeping in. Damon couldn't stand to see her shiver any longer; Elena was lying on the old sofa, facing away from him, her body shaking and teeth chattering from the icy breeze.
He moved silently towards her, removing his jacket, he placed it over her, and then sat on the ground with his back pressed against the sofa.
She had the impulse to push it off her but she was freezing and it's not like he needed it.
She inhaled deeply, his scent taking over her, after a few minutes of silence she muttered, "Thanks" even if she was mad at him her parent had taught her manners.
"I know what you're thinking, and I don't blame you" he said, as she turned around to look at him, her head resting on the sofas armrest. "You think I went to Katherine, bragging that I could make you love me, but I never wanted to force you into this. Yes, I should have told you what Katherine was making me do, but she threatened to hurt you" he paused, it was always at times like this when his jaw seemed to lock, unable to say anything that would show her that he cared.
"You said Katherine made you, how did she do that?" she asked, though she wanted to stay mad, she wanted answers a whole lot more.
"Luciana, she's one of the oldest witches I've met, you know the little aneurism trick Bonnie's so fond off, it's like that just a whole lot worse" Damon wasn't one to admit to being hurt so it made Elena grimace as she tried to imagine what that had felt like.
"We can get out of here, I'll even leave town if you want me to but you have to say it Elena, it doesn't matter that you don't mean it, I just don't want you to die" her heartbeat seemed to speed up when he looked up at her, unleashing the full power behind those endlessly intense eyes, "You care about Stefan right?"
She was taken back by this but she nodded, "Yeah, I lov-"
"Yeah I know" he interrupted not wanting to hear about how much she loved his brother, "That's why you need to lie, tell me you love me, it doesn't have to mean anything, it's just words, you won't be like Katherine because I know you'll be saying it to be with Stefan"
The emotional turmoil that had been building up inside her was getting to be too much, he just didn't understand what she was truly feeling, what she so desperately needed to tell him.
She got off the sofa, quickly kneeling beside him, holding his face in the palms of her hands, "I can't leave" she begged him to understand, her eyes looking wild and lost.
"You can" he said gently, his hand moving to its own accord as it caressed her cheek.
"I can't, he'll know as soon as he sees me, he'll just know" Damon's head tilted to the side trying to decipher her words, "I thought it was impossible to love two people at the one time, but I was wrong, and now when he kisses me, he'll not be the one I'm thinking of, when I tell him that I love him I won't be able to tell him he's the only one" she whispered her hands trembling as they moved down to rest on his shoulders.
"Don't say it then, please don't say it if you don't mean it, because you weren't the only one to be wrong, there not just words." She exhaled deeply, relieved he finally understood.
"I need time, and then we can leave ok?" The unspoken promise behind her words was so blindingly obvious that he couldn't help the smile that graced his lips.
Damon wouldn't be able to sleep until he heard her say those three words out loud, but he would always wait for her "Take all the time you need, because right now that's all I have"
