a/n: I was speechless from the large amount of reviews my last chapter received. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review. I'm deeply happy with this chapter. I hope you enjoy it too. And please remember to review!

Chapter Twelve A Breath of Mortality

I can feel the wind blowin',
It's sending shivers down my spine,
I can feel the wind blowin',
It shakes the trees and the power lines,
What makes a man spend his whole life in disguise?
I think I know,
I think I might know.
-What Makes a Man by City and Colour

Elena sat in the living room and watched the other inhabitants contemplate the events of the past few days. They had spent the past thirty minutes filling Stefan and her family in on everything that had happened. Stefan had spent a few minutes recalling what had happened to them, but with the few details he had, it was hard to tell exactly who had held them captive or why they had bothered to take them in the first place.

To top things off, they had to deal with the Katherine incident that had occurred earlier that day. Caroline still seemed shaken by the event and had said little during the entire conversation. Elena found it strange that the girl who had always had something to say now had problems finding the words to describe the darkness Katherine had brought with her.

"We haven't slept much in the past few days," Alaric said as he stood up. "We haven't eaten much either. We still have a few more days to figure this out. I vote we use the last few hours of daylight to fix food on the grill and then resume this discussion when darkness sets."

"Then Tyler and Caroline won't be able to be part of the conversation," Bonnie spoke up. Her green eyes quickly passed over her friends. "We all have a lot to think about. And I have to read to see if Emily talked about any necklace she ever gave Damon. Let's just continue this conversation tomorrow."

"I'm fine with that idea," Jenna said after her stomach let out an embarrassing rumble. "Do you plan on cooking Alaric?"

A smile crossed his lips. "If you'll help me."

Jenna laughed. "You do not want me anywhere near the food." She stood up and smiled. "I will, however, stand there and look pretty."

"What more could I ask for?" Alaric replied as he turned to Bonnie. "Do you have a grill we can use?"

"Of course," Bonnie motioned toward the kitchen. "Just follow me."

Elena sat there in silence as she watched Bonnie, Tyler, Jenna, and Alaric all pile out of the room. After a few seconds, Caroline stood up and stretched.

"Since I'm no help after the sun goes down," she began, "I think I'm going to help fix food."

"When did you learn how to cook?" Matt gasped.

Caroline shrugged. "Not really cook. I can, however, make a salad. As long as we still have the stuff to make one."

"I'll go help," Matt smiled.

As Elena watched them disappear, a smile crossed her own lips. It was good to see Matt so happy with Caroline. They were a cute couple and they deserved each other.

But then Elena glanced back around the room. Stefan sat beside her on the love seat and Damon leaned against the back wall. She wondered how she had managed to become trapped in a room with both Salvatore brothers.

Although Stefan's hand was intertwined with her own, Elena was focused on Damon. His blue eyes wouldn't leave her brown ones and his gaze broke her heart.

"I'll be back sometime," Damon spoke suddenly as he moved from his position. "Don't wait up for me."

Elena watched Damon leave without saying a word. When she heard the front door close, she finally turned and faced Stefan.

"Do you need to go too?" she asked softly.

"Why would I need to leave you?" he smiled as he wrapped his arm around her. "I'm perfectly content where I am." He leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips. When he pulled away, she was frowning.

"Don't you need to feed?"

"I'll be fine Elena. I can wait until the morning."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

She nodded slowly as she leaned against his chest. It had been so long since they'd just been able to sit around and enjoy the presence of each other. But when she closed her eyes and breathed in, she could only feel Damon.

As much as Elena had once loved this quiet time with Stefan, now, it only bothered her. The silence weighed down on them and threatened to smother her. Instead of simply enjoying her time with Stefan, she fought for something to say.

"Did Katherine torture you when she held you captive?" Elena finally asked.

"No," he shook his head slightly. "She held me prison in the room you found me in, but she was far from controlling. She gave me all the food I wanted and offered me anything I desired." He frowned. "She said she'd give me anything I wanted if I chose to follow her."

"I hate the fact that she thinks she can control our lives," Elena spat.

"We'll find a way to stop her," Stefan said as he offered her a smile. "We haven't backed down so far. That should say something."

Elena nodded slowly. "I'm glad she didn't hurt you."

"Hm." Stefan shifted in his seat so he could look into Elena's brown eyes. "Did Damon hurt you while I was away? You two have been acting strange ever since I was rescued."

"He didn't hurt me," Elena replied. "He actually saved my life on multiple occasions."

"You don't have some hero complex with him now, do you?"

"What?" Elena gasped as she pushed away from Stefan. "Why would you ask that?"

"Sometimes, when a person saves you, you'll develop weak feelings for that person," Stefan replied. "He saved you, and I'm grateful for that, but he doesn't care about anyone Elena. I don't want you to get hurt."

"He isn't the one hurting me," Elena said as she stood up. "I understand that you have a right to wonder what happened when you were away, but I love you, Stefan. Not him."

"I'm sorry," Stefan replied as he stood up. "I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay." Forcing herself to smile, Elena pointed toward the kitchen. "I'm going to see if Caroline and Matt need any help."

"I'll go with you."

"I'll be fine," Elena made clear. "You've been through a lot. Just relax."

Without waiting to see if he obeyed, she walked into the kitchen. No one was in this area and Elena assumed Caroline and Matt had moved out to the backyard. Elena took a few seconds to compose herself from what had just occurred in the living room. All of the feelings that had consumed her over the past few days still lingered in the background of her thoughts. And she wasn't sure what to make of them. She was certain, however, that if Stefan didn't give her some space, she'd end up doing something she would probably regret.

Later that night, Bonnie sat in the living room and read from Emily's journal by the light of the candles around her. The majority of the house was asleep, but she couldn't find comfort in the realm of unconsciousness. Too many thoughts plagued her and she'd once again opened this book to attempt to find some of the answers she needed.

The page in front of her caught her attention more than any of the others. Slowly, Bonnie read:

I feel as if she knows of the plans I intend to set in motion. She watches me constantly, even when it disadvantages her to do so. She seems almost paranoid, and with what I plan on doing, I don't blame her. But her madness has to stop. I can't allow her to continue plaguing the world with the evil she controls.

She has already fed the boys her blood. According to the small amount of information she tells me, she is going to turn both of them soon. I feel as if she is torturing both boys to gain her own end. And neither boy knows the full extent of what the change will demand of them.

While one of the boys seems content with her and her lifestyle, the other is more hesitant in joining her side. I feel sorry for him. She has bewitched him with her dark spells to such a point that his love for her will allow him to make foolish decisions. He deserves much better than her darkness.

I have been working nonstop on devising a spell to help him through this. I found a beautiful crescent-shaped pendent that I plan on using for this task. If I am successful, this necklace will allow him to remember what it was like to be human. I don't want him to become the calloused monster that she is...

Bonnie pulled away and shook her head. The implications of what she had just read sent a shiver down her spine. If Emily had found a way for a vampire to become human again, even if the change was only temporary, then nowhere would be safe for them to stay. Bonnie secretly hoped that Emily had failed or changed her mind about what she wanted the spell to accomplish. If she hadn't, then they were doomed.

"Hello there." Damon flashed a smile as he came up to the vampire in front of him. The male stood over six foot tall and close to two hundred pounds. Despite the fact that Damon was much smaller than this giant before him, he wanted to fight so much that he cared little about his opponent. Any fight would be amazing.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

Damon simply grinned. "My name isn't important."

As Damon's fist made contact with the vampire, his adversary frowned. He tried to grab onto Damon, but Damon was too fast for the younger vampire. Damon sent an uppercut to the man's jaw that had him staggering back a few steps.

The adrenaline was pumping through Damon's veins and overcoming the raw pain he had felt before. He had never imagined how hard it was going to be to see his brother and Elena together. It angered Damon greatly to realize that it took events like this for him to remember why he had vowed to never love again. Love was far too painful.

He had been distracted by his thoughts and Giant landed his own attack on Damon's face. Damon grinned as he let his vampire instincts completely take over. With inhuman speed, Damon pounded his fists against Giant's chest. Giant took the beating fairly well and didn't seem too disturbed by Damon's attacks. All of a sudden, Giant hit Damon in the chest and threw him to the ground.

The wind picked up and blew green leaves through the area. Damon saw a branch lying nearby and turned and raced for the piece of wood. Giant chased after him, but he was too slow. Just as Giant descended on Damon, Damon picked up the branch and thrust it into Giant's heart.

Giant groaned before he collapsed onto the ground beside Damon. Damon didn't waste any time getting up off the ground and glancing at his surroundings. Although some of his anger had dissipated, there was still a burning need in him to destroy anything that came into his path. And that feeling intensified as she walked into his line of vision.

"Oh Damon," she breathed as she walked up to him. "Why do you put yourself through this?"

"Katherine," Damon said coldly. "I have nothing to say to you."

"I think you do," she replied. "I have something you want."

Damon didn't give her the satisfaction of acting surprised. Instead, he just shrugged. "And what do I want Katherine?"

"This." She held up the necklace that she had taken the previous night. "Do you know the power this devise holds?"

"I'm sure you're going to enlighten me," he snapped.

"Don't be like that Damon," she said softly. "I never meant to make you hate me this much." She slowly reached up and fastened the necklace around Damon's neck. "I know we've had our differences Damon, but this is what you want. You want your humanity back. And I can give you that."

As the necklace landed on his skin, Damon could feel all the emotions he had locked away over the course of his vampire life. His vision dimmed and he could no longer hear the thousands of sounds that had echoed in the night only a few seconds before. Glancing to Katherine, he saw the ethereal beauty she possessed as the moonlight shimmered on her dark hair. She leaned in and softly brushed her lips against his. And since all Damon's vampire abilities had been taken away, he was forced to stand there and let her touch him.

"You were always supposed to be with me," she breathed as she unhooked the necklace. "And you will be with me again. It won't be much longer before our eternity together begins."

With an almost breathtaking smile, she turned and disappeared into the darkness of the night. Damon stood there for a few moments and stared at the area she had vanished into. A storm was approaching on the horizon and its warning was imminent. Katherine knew what she wanted and this meeting proved that she would go to any length to obtain it. And if they didn't find a way to stop her, Katherine's wrath would consume them all.

a/n: Please review!