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Eternal Pain – Chapter 13

Elena POV

Bonnie got here quickly and set right up to work on doing a locator spell to find Caroline.

"How long will this take?" I ask, starting to pace back and forth.

"I don't know Elena, I've only done this once before. I'm going as quickly as I can."

I watch as Bonnie struggles to work the spell. I can't help but feel that this is all my fault. Caroline is gone, most likely taken by my own mother and my doppelganger. Caroline didn't do anything to deserve this. This is happening only because she is my friend.

I glance over at Alaric, he's taking a drink from Damon's bar. I feel like joining him, but I need to keep a clear head. Caroline is depending on us.

"Ok, I'm ready Elena." Alaric and I gather around Bonnie, watching as she casts the spell. We didn't have any of her blood to use, so Bonnie cuts her own hand and lets it drop on the map. We all watch transfixed as the blood dances around the map, finally coming to a halt in the north hills houses.

"That's the direction we saw them heading! We need to go there now."

"Elena, we need a plan. We aren't strong enough to take on a 500 year old vampire."

"Alaric, we can't wait. This is Caroline we're talking about. I can't lose anyone else."

"I might be able to stop her temporarily. I learned a new spell, which is supposed to disable a vampire."

"Bonnie, if you haven't tested this yet, I don't know if this is the best time to try a new trick. This is going to be way to dangerous as it is."

"Ric, It's something, we have to try. We don't know how much time she has." I cry out, feeling that we have to work quickly.

"Ok, but you are all going fully loaded as well." He tosses to each of them some grenade looking things and a stake apiece. "These are vervain bombs, they should stun them, and hopefully we can grab Caroline and get out. I'm not going to lie, but it's going to take a miracle for us to get out of this alive."

"Well that's the first time someone's called me a miracle."

Damon POV

I see their stunned looks all around, seeing me walk in at that opportune moment. I flash my signature grin, and the spell of silence seems to break.

"Damon…" I hear her say my name, I've missed her voice.

"Well, that improves our odds some," says Alaric.

"Some miracle," I hear Bonnie mumble under her breath. I smile at the witch, at least I always know where I stand with her.

"Alright, so from what I overheard, it looks like Katherine and Isobel have Caroline, right? So, simple plan, Alaric and I head into the house, with Bonnie as backup. Elena, you can drive the getaway car."

"Damon, I'm coming, I need to help."

I walk right next to Elena, "You are what they're after, I'm sure of it. I'm not handing you over to them. You need to stay out of the house. We don't know what we're walking into." I try to put the danger into my voice, implying that I don't want her to get hurt.

"I'm not a weakling Damon!"

With that, I grab her and push her into the wall, moving in a flash. I know I knocked the wind out of her, but it also knocked it out of me. This is the first time we've touched in days. I feel her skin burning me. I've missed it so much. I want to take her right there, not worrying that Bonnie and Ric are standing so close. I want to taste her, kiss her, love her… Instead I whisper in her ear, "See how easily I can take you down? How quickly I could take you right here, kill you." I back away slightly, "How do you expect to be a match for a 500 year old vampire?"

"Damon, that's enough. Elena can't wait in the car, as they might snatch her while we're busy. We'll just have her stay close to Bonnie, who can use her mojo to take down any vampires that come their way." Alaric says, trying to come up with a solution.

"Fine, but be it on your heads." I back away from Elena, sensing a bit of longing. I turn to Alaric and Bonnie and see the weird look on both of their faces. How much did I just show?

"Let's go," I hear Elena say shakily. "Caroline needs us."

Elena POV

The drive over was short, but to me it lasted forever. Alaric was driving, with Bonnie in the passenger seat. I was sitting in the back seat with Damon. I sat there, watching him, wondering what he was thinking. Had he felt the electricity between them in that moment when they touched? I wish I could ask him now, but it would raise too many questions from their fellow riders.

Why is Damon back? Is he going to Katherine as soon as we get there?

He's staring out the window, on high alert. I keep seeing his fists clenching and unclenching. I can sense his anxiety.

Instinctively, I reach out and grab his hand, trying to reassure him. Instantly he turns. His eyes are full of alarm as he looks into my eyes, I can see something else too, pain, hurt, and worry. Our eyes stay locked the rest of the drive. It's not until the car stops and Alaric says that we're as close as we can get that I turn away. Instantly I feel a bit of loss at the end of our staring contest.

We all get out of the car and look up at the large house before us. It's an expensive looking house, almost a large as the boarding house.

"Nicest foreclosure in town. I taught Isobel that." Everyone turns and looks at him. "What? I do teach those I turn at least a little bit." Flashing his signature grin as he starts forward.

Alaric POV

What a misfit crowd we are. A vampire hunter, a vampire, a witch, and a doppelganger; all gallivanting together to fight my wife and another doppelganger who both happen to be vampires; all to save a blonde cheerleader…well at least we have out priorities straight.

Bonnie and Elena wait behind, going around the house to see if there is another entrance, Damon and I decide to take the direct approach. Well, actually, Damon decided and I'm just following him, but close enough.

"Here goes nothing." Damon says, as he opens the front door. It's unlocked. I watch him test sticking his foot in, no problems there. "Ok, let's go."

I enter the house with him, feeling slightly shocked that I am about to come face to face with my wife, after all these years. Expecting us to sneak in silently to try to figure out the situation, I'm shocked when I hear Damon call "Honey, I'm home!"

"Damon!"

"Relax. They knew we were here the second we started walking up the driveway. At least now we can put away pretenses."

Knowing he's right, it still doesn't make me feel any better. Suddenly we're both pinned against the wall, our throats held tight.

"Alaric, how nice of you to come and visit. I'm assuming you're here for the blonde? Never saw her as your type." Strange, after all this time I never thought that this would be how our reunion went.

"She's my student. Where is she?"

"Oh, you'll get her soon enough. We're almost done with her." She smiles knowingly at me.

"What do you want Isobel?"

"Me, oh, I want my daughter, and this." I feel her lips crash onto me. So unlike the soft passionate lips of my wife. This seems like a hard shell of her, everything that had made her human is gone. Yet, it is my wife, and I can't help but start to kiss back wishing it was real.

Damon POV

"Katherine." I say softly as she has me pinned to the wall. I've waited for this moment for so many years, wanting to be reunited with her. As she holds me stiffly to the wall, I start to wonder why. There is nothing about this creature before me that inspires my love. No connection felt via her touch, and yet, it is Katherine.

"Damon, sweetie. How nice to see you. Did you come by for desert?"

"Katherine, what do you want?

"Did you miss me? I know you did. I know that my little duplicate is nothing compared to me." With that he lips crash onto me. I kiss her back, almost on autopilot. I realize in these moments that I never loved Katherine, she was just the most exciting thing around in 1864. A woman so sure of herself. I feel her grip on my start to slacken as she gets more and more into the kiss, and I use it to my advantage, quickly turning the tables.

Crack! I have Katherine's head against the floor now, having just smashed it as hard as I can onto the pretty marble entryway.

"You do not come into my town; threaten the people I care about. Going after Elena's friends? Bad move. You leave her alone or I will rip you to bits. You are nothing to me Katherine, nothing. I want you out of my town."

"Big words Mr. Salvatore. But, I do wonder, why are you here and not Stefan? Why bring your little sideshow of a teacher instead of what I really want? Where is Stefan?"

Elena POV

Bonnie and I are sneaking in the back. I can here a great deal of commotion going on in the front of the house, so I'm hoping no one will notice as we sneak upstairs. We carefully creep along as quietly as we can, coming upon and open door.

"Caroline!" I cry out, forgetting the need to be silent, and I rush over. I notice then that she's just lying there, not moving. "Bonnie, is she asleep? Hurry wake her up."

'Elena…" Bonnie says carefully, placing her hand on my shoulder. "She's not asleep. She's dead."