Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.

Note: Previously, in "Insanity in Love," Elisabetta gets a call from Alaric, warning her that Guiseppe knows what she has done and that they have to get to Chicago, where he has a safe house set up for them.

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Much Later...

Elena couldn't help but be worried as they traveled out of Mystic Falls, not just about herself, but about Damon. She had just succeeded in getting him out and now, there was the threat of him being taken away from her. While she was grateful that Alaric was able to warn them about Guiseppe and Klaus, she still had the sick feeling in her stomach that somehow, they would get caught.

"Are you okay, Elena? You seem awfully quiet."

Stefan's question brought her out of her reverie and she shook her head. "No, Stefan, I'm not okay. I'm worried, mostly about Damon. We may have been successful in rescuing him, but the thought of your father and Klaus catching us is hanging over our heads."

"That won't happen," he replied. "Mom's lawyer is very resourceful."

"I know it sounds like I'm doubting him, and believe me, I have all the faith in the world in him," said Elena. "It's just that I love Damon and the thought of him being taken away from me forever is too much for me to bear."

Stefan hugged her. "Nobody is taking him away from you, Elena. Trust me, we won't let them win."

Elena stepped back. "Stefan, I don't want you, your mother, or Alaric to get into any more trouble than you already are. If Damon is truly going to be free, then I want to be the one to do it. Believe me, it's not that I don't appreciate the help, I really do, but..."

"Elena, listen to yourself," said Stefan. "I know you want to help Damon, and so do we. We've been planning this for the past three years, and we're not about to back down now, not when we've worked our asses off."

"I understand that," said Elena. "But, I'm talking out of my ass here. I may not know your father or what he's capable of, but I don't want to take the chance of the two of you getting into trouble for this. Let me handle things from here on out. Think about it, Stefan, what if Chicago isn't the safest place for Damon either? All right, so we'll be safe there for what, a couple of days? A week? A month? Then, what's to stop your father and Klaus from finding out about Alaric's safe house and track us down?"

When Stefan didn't answer her, she said, "You know I'm right about this. Your heart is in the right place and I admire the love you have for your brother. I have the exact same love for my own brother, even if he hasn't spoken to me in years." She sighed. "Just think about it, okay? You don't have to give me an answer right now."

Stefan nodded. "All right, I'll think about it. Don't misunderstand me, Elena, I'm not questioning you, far from it. You're only doing what's right by Damon. I know he loves you just as fiercely as you love him."

Elena was about to answer him when Damon spoke up, having overheard their conversation. "Stefan, could give us a moment?"

Stefan nodded and reluctantly gave them their privacy, after which Damon looked at Elena and said, "Were you serious about all that just now?"

"You heard all that?"

"I did," said Damon. "But, you didn't answer my earlier question. Were you serious about what you said to my brother?"

"I meant every word," said Elena. "Damon, I respect your mother and I appreciate everything she's doing for you, for us, but I just...don't want her to get into trouble just because she's a mother who wants nothing but the best for her son."

Damon nodded. "So, what do you think we should do then?"

"Not sure yet," said Elena. "At this point, the only thing I can really think of is finding a place where your father and Klaus won't think to look." She ran her hand through her hair. "I know that your mother is dead set on going to Chicago, but I can't risk it. We'll have to convince her to drop us off somewhere. Then, we can get a car and drive somewhere safer, like maybe Canada."

When she finished speaking, she studied Damon's face to see if he agreed with what she was saying. Please, Damon, I'd hate to have anything happen to you. I love you, and that's why we can't go to Chicago with Elisabetta and Stefan. The longer we stay with them, the more dangerous this becomes.

"All right, Elena, I'll go along with your plan," he said. "I don't doubt you. As I said before, I have faith in you."

Elena smiled. "Thank you, Damon. I'd do anything to keep you safe, even convincing your mother that I've got a better idea."

"You don't have to convince me, Elena. I had a feeling that you'd want to do this."

Elena heard Elisabetta's voice from the driver's seat. "You're not mad at me?"

"Of course not, dear," she replied. "I understand completely. Stefan and I will go to Chicago so that we can throw Guiseppe and Klaus off our trail. That way, you and Damon can go wherever you want."

Elena smiled. "Thank you. And we'll keep in contact with you so that you don't worry about us."

"I'd like that, dear," said Elisabetta. "Now, we're just coming to a pit stop. You and Damon can get out there and we'll keep going."

Rest Stop – A Few Minutes Later...

Elisabetta pulled the car into the rest stop in question and Elena climbed out, Damon following after her. After wishing Elisabetta and Stefan luck, they went off in search of a car that would take them to wherever they wanted to go. A few minutes of searching brought them to a a shiny blue Camaro that had been discarded.

"This should get us to where we want to go," said Damon. "I've always wanted to drive one of these."

Elena smiled. "Then, you can have dibs." She saw that the window was open. "Well, looks like whoever abandoned the car left the window open."

Damon saw the open window, stuck his hand in, and unlocked the door, allowing Elena to crawl into the passenger side before getting in himself, closing the door behind him. He then saw a set of keys in the ignition, smirking evilly at the discovery.

Looks like the idiot who left the car also left the keys for us for us to find, he thought. It was like he expected us to take it. This is definitely our lucky day.

Maintaining his smirk, Damon started the car and pulled out of the rest stop, heading off in the direction of either Canada or wherever they would feel safest.

Note: Yeah, a bit of an unexpected twist there, huh? I wanted to do something different to spice things up a bit, so I had the group split up and have Damon and Elena head to a different place. Stay tuned!

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