AN:

IMPORTANT: I made a timeline mistake on the last chapter that I had to fix. So the last 3 paragraphs of the previous chapter have been altered. Sorry about that.

Moving on.

Previously on The Vampire Diaries…

"We are here." - Damon's voice broke the heavy silence, waking her up from her stupor.

Elena nodded jerkily and peeled her eyes off the blue eyed vampire. However, it didn't take more than a cursive look for a frown to form on her forehead.

"Damon...?" - she asked confused - "Where is here?"

A flash of guilt permeated Damon's expression before he put on his best "I don't care" mask on.

"This is where they are holding Stefan." - he offered simply.

"But you said we were going to the school. That we were going to enlist Mr Saltzman."- she asked puzzled even further.

"No."- Damon replied with a patronizing smirk -"You said that. I never said I would."

"Seriously?"- Elena huffed and crossed her arms against her chest, glaring daggers at the window pane.

Damon leaned in closer until Elena could feel his warm breath on her ear lobe.

"Ye-p, pouty."- Elena didn't turn to look at him, but she couldn't help the shiver that ran through her -"Ok, so you stay here and I'm going to pay them a visit." - Damon stated as he moved away.

"What?"- startled, Elena turned to face him and grabbed his arm -"No. You are not doing this without me!"- she stated fiercely.

Damon looked at her, then purposely down at her hand on his arm and Elena couldn't help but release her hold on it.

"What part of "I am not risking your life" you are having trouble understanding?" - Damon asked her with barely suppressed rage.

"The part where you are risking yours and-and my boyfriend's lives!" - Elena replied practically screaming.

"I'm a vampire for fucks sake!" - Damon spat back looming over her.

"Oh right! Excuse me!" - she replied not at all intimidated -"I didn't realize that made you indestructible! My bad, obviously." - she glared at him venomously.

"Elena..." - Damon said quietly, closing his eyes to try to reign in his temper -"Please listen to me for once?"- his voice was almost pleading.

"Why should I?" - she asked back petulantly.

Damon reached for her and placed a hand tenderly on her cheek. Elena couldn't resist leaning into it and closing her eyes. His touch, even when in the middle of a disagreement, seemed to have a grounding effect on her.

"Because I care for my brother... and for you..." - he choked and Elena almost came undone at the words he almost did say.

"Okay..."- she said quietly.

"Okay."- he echoed and the next second Elena was alone in the car as the rain came down trying to wash her guilt away.

.

.

.

Damon walked with angry strides to the front porch of the isolated farm house. He felt pumped and ready to snap some vampire necks. He knocked at the front door, issuing threats.

"Pearl! Open this door or I swear to God I'll burst it through and rip your head off." - he bellowed.

To his surprise, the vampire that had attacked them last night answered the door.

"Pearl is not home."- the cocky vampire offered almost conversationally as he took in the weather outside –"Hmm, beautiful weather. Not a ray of sun in the sky."

"Where is my brother?" – Damon asked, trying to mask his feelings.

"Billy." – Frederick called out and, to Damon's consternation, Stefan was dragged into view and he didn't look good.

"You are dead." – Damon threatened but hit the invisible shield of the house as he tried to go in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but you haven't been invited in."- Frederick answered gleefully - "Miss Gibbons?"

A middle age woman appeared behind the vampire. She was clearly human and had visible teeth marks on her neck.

"Yes Fredrick honey?"

"Never let this bad man in." – Frederick ordered.

"I will never let him in." – Miss Gibbons replied as she looked Damon up and down."

Damon was seething. He could hear Stefan grunting in pain but there was nothing he could do. Frederick was clearly out for revenge, Damon had guessed as much. Frederick's tirade about being locked in the tomb and making Stefan feel the same pain and torture he had felt just confirmed it.

Damon had to watch Stefan be staked again… powerless to stop it… He needed to get into that house… he needed to rescue his bother...

Conflicted and feeling useless, Damon ran back to the car where Elena was waiting. Seeing him approach she stepped out of the car with an umbrella to meet him.

"What happened? Where is he?"- she asked eagerly as Stefan was nowhere to be found.

"I can't get in." – Damon replied bitterly, hating to have to admit to having his hands tied.

"Why not?" – Elena could feel the panic taking over.

"Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in." – Damon offered.

Elena took a deep breath.

"I can get in." – she said determined and tried to get pass him. Damon's hands clamped on her arms, he was like an insurmountable wall, but Elena struggled nonetheless.

"You are not going in." – he said firmly.

"I'm going."- she insisted.

"You are not going in there." – Damon said again, leaving no room for argument.

"Why are they doing this?" - Elena asked desperately – "What do they want with him?"

"Revenge," – the words tasted bitter in Damon's mouth – "They want revenge."

Elena could feel fear bubbling up…

"We have to do something…"- she said half dazed.

"I know" – Damon offered, trying to calm her and himself somewhat because dread was also threatening to overwhelm him.

"We can't let them hurt him. We gotta get him out of there." – she started frantically.

"I know" – he turned and placed his hands on either side of her face –"Elena, I know. But I don't know how to get him out."

The fact that not even Damon had a plan was not reassuring. So Elena took a deep breath and tried to find a solution.

"Mr Saltzman." – she whispered.

"No Ele…"

"Damon, that's our best chance. " – she cut him off –"It's Stefan best chance." – she begged placing her hand on his chest.

"He won't help." – Damon said brokenly –"I killed his wife."

"We have to try Damon…" – she pleaded even more forcefully, clutching at his wet shirt –"We can't lose him." – Elena burrowed into his chest with a sob.

"I know…"- Damon said quietly hugging her to him –"Okay, let's try."

"Thank you…" – Elena whispered as she leaned back wiping the tears from her eyes and moved towards the car.

.

.

.

They drove in silence, both trapped in worst case scenarios of what was happening to Stefan as time ticked by.

The cool damp air, as Damon opened the car door, woke her up. He pulled her to him and next thing she knew they were inside the school. When Damon put her down Elena didn't move away, staring at him in wonder. She felt incredibly vulnerable and incapable of being of help. Damon wasn't fairing much better. He might have claimed to hate his brother for all the world to hear, but the truth was quite the opposite. He stared back at the girl in his arms and leaned in, letting their foreheads meet, finding it as hard as her to breathe and keep it together. They held each other, seeking strength and support in their love for the man that was suffering at the hands of the tomb vampires.

"Stefan…"- Damon whispered after a few minutes, as he moved away.

The mention of her boyfriend seemed to remind her of the urgency, of the fact that there was no time or room to fall apart. Elena nodded and started down the corridor after Damon. Yes, Stefan was all that mattered, they needed to save him. Elena kept repeating the mantra as they searched the empty corridors of her school for Mr Saltzman.

AN: I hope you liked it. I've cut Damon's conversation with Frederick in half because it was a lot of blah blah blah. Hope that the purists out there don't mind. I know that some of the dialogue cannot be removed, but it is awfully boring to have to transcribe conversations that happened in the show and I try to only do it when necessary...