Chapter 20

Damon's car swirled on the road, the tires squeaking on the concrete, the smell of burned rubber coming in through the cracked window. The sun was still not fully up yet. He'd barely slept an hour and during that time he'd done nothing but dream of her. She was everywhere, all the time. When he slept, when he woke, when he did anything. There was no escape. He couldn't go on like this. The hate he felt for her was consuming him. The love he felt for her was driving him insane. He had to do something to get her out of his head or it wouldn't be long before he would snap. Luckily, he knew exactly where to go.

When the car came to a skidding halt in front of the house, the empty bottles crashed from the backseat to the floor. Damon grabbed the last full one from the passenger's seat and all but fell out of the vehicle, stumbling to the rundown house, knocking on the large oak doors like a madman.

"I know you're in there!" he yelled, his words slurring a little. "Open up, witch!"

It took her a few seconds, but when Abby Bennett finally flung the door open, her eyes were shooting fire. However, when she took in the pathetic, drunk sight in front of her, her gaze softened significantly. "Salvatore," she said, confusion in her voice. "What−"

"She won't go away," he blurred out, taking a large gulp of the scotch again. "I need you to make her go away. Get her out of my head. I don't want her in there anymore, I don't want to remember her."

"Who?"

"I mean, I'm seeing things that aren't there for God's sake!"

Abby's eyes found the scotch. "Maybe you should try easing up on the alcohol."

"I'm seeing her everywhere!" Damon continued, gesturing wildly with the bottle, spilling liquor all over Abby's porch. "She's everywhere, but it's not really her, I know that! I know! She tells me she's not real, but she still won't leave me alone!"

Abby's frown grew deeper as her eyes drifted to the empty car and then back to Damon. "Salvatore," she said, her voice dead serious. "Where is Elena Gilbert?"

He sniffed loudly. "Are you even listening to me? I just told you, she's everywhere!"

Abby Bennett's eyes turned hard and then, she did something he hadn't expected her to do. She stepped outside, stepped from behind the protection spell that kept Damon away from her and stopped at arm's length of him.

"Hey, Salvatore, focus!" she hissed, snapping her fingers in front of his eyes. "Tell me where Elena Gilbert is!"

Damon laughed coldly, raising the scotch to his lips again. However, before he could take a sip, Abby grabbed the bottle and threw in on the lawn. If Damon hadn't already been swaying on his feet, he would've done more than simply growl at that.

"Damon," Abby said, holding his eyes. "Tell me what happened."

"She screwed me, that's what happened," Damon snarled. "She was using me to find out where we were stashing Klaus' Mother."

Abby's frown grew deeper. "No, that's not possible."

"No? Then how come we're minus one Mother and one White Oak Stake, huh?"

The witch softly shook her head. "No, Damon, listen to me, there's no way she was working for Klaus."

Damon sniffed. "You're supposed to be this kickass bitch witch and even you were scammed by that lying−"

"Damon," she cut him off. "I was in that girl's head. It's not easy to hide the truth when you're in someone's every thought, ever memory. I can guarantee you Elena Gilbert wasn't working for Niklaus Mikaelson. She hated him. Even more than you and I do."

"She was Niklaus' wife."

Damon had expected this revelation to startle her, but Abby just shrugged and said, "I know."

He straightened up threateningly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I know," she repeated like it was no big deal. "In fact, I knew that the moment you showed up with her on my porch."

"And you didn't think to mention that to me?" Damon snarled, his hands clutching by his side.

"I couldn't risk you beating me to the punch."

"Beating you to the punch?"

"I was planning on killing her the second I had her alone," she said without shame. "I was afraid you'd do it before I could get my hands on her."

He knew it was an inappropriate reaction knowing what he knew now, but he still heard himself growl. In her defense.

"Why didn't you?" he snarled. "You would've done us both a favor."

"Because she begged me to give her a chance," Abby explained. "She told me to look inside her head before I killed her and see that she was not who I thought she was. I did and I'm telling you that that poor girl was not working for Niklaus. She wasn't his accomplice. She was his victim."

Damon huffed, smiling mockingly. "She fooled you, too, Bennett. I know, it hurts your pride, but I am telling you that Elena Gilbert played you. She played us all."

"Then why was she here," Abby shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. "If Klaus wasn't torturing her with nightmares, if he wasn't in her head, why was she here?"

Something inside Damon knotted together, but he ignored it, snapping, "You're still hiding from him, right? She was probably tracking you down for Niklaus."

"And she knew you'd bring her to me?"

"She knew I'd want the best for her," he admitted reluctantly. "She had me pretty much figured out from day one."

"Still, if she was here to give my location to Niklaus, I'd be dead by now, right?" Abby said, her eyes growing more and more confused. "Tell me, Damon, why are you so sure she betrayed you?"

"She told me."

"She could've been lying."

"She wasn't," Damon snarled, remembering her, laughing at him, kissing her husband, jumping at the opportunity to bury a stake in his heart. "Believe me."

"Where did this happen?" she asked, her gaze intensifying on his.

"In the woods."

"When?"

"Right before dawn."

"Could you see the moon from where you were? Was there still a moon?"

"I don't know. I didn't notice."

"How many men did he bring with him?"

"Uhm, I−" he tried to look back, tried to count them, but he couldn't see it clearly. He could see shapes, see shadows surrounding him, but he couldn't make out how many exactly. Now, a human might've just figured they'd forgotten, but vampires were always on high alert, always noticed the details and on top of that, they had an extraordinary memory, so why couldn't he remember this?

"What was he wearing?" Abby interrupted his effort. "Klaus. What was he wearing?"

Again, Damon tried to see, tried to focus, but he couldn't remember. How could he recall everything he'd said, every look on his face, but not what he was wearing?

"You don't remember, do you?" the witch said, flexing her fingers. "When you're compelled, the details get fuzzy when you try to focus on them. Like a picture you zoom in on too closely. Everything gets unclear."

Compelled?

Damon's lungs seized to draw in breath, his entire body feeling like ice-cold water was flowing through his veins instead of warm blood.

"I'm not compelled," he snarled. "It happened. She fucked me over."

"Damon," Abby said, her eyes kinder than he'd ever seen them. "I might not know exactly what happened that night, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Elena Gilbert loved you. I saw it. I felt it."

"She was a good actress."

"No," Abby whispered. "You, Damon Salvatore, were that girl's world."

Damon shook his head, multiple emotions surging through him. He hated Elena Gilbert and yet, a part of him wished the witch was right. He couldn't let himself hope, though. His heart wouldn't let him. He knew the truth. He'd been living with the truth for three weeks now. "I wasn't compelled."

"Okay," Abby said, smiling ominously. "If you're so sure, you won't mind me checking, right?"

"Checking?" Damon rumbled. "What do you mean by−"

Suddenly, Abby's hands flew to Damon's temples. Electricity shot through him. The cells in his brain popped free from their shells, casting off the well-crafted lies. He opened his mouth in a mute scream, his head feeling like it was about to explode from the pressure within.

And then, he was no longer on that porch, but back in those woods, only this time, he wasn't there being humiliated by the love of his life. He was there watching her being taken from him, watching her sacrifice herself for him, screaming at her that he loved her, that he would come for her…

Meeting you, Damon Salvatore, was the highlight of my existence.

Damon fell to his knees when it was over, gasping, his head pounding, his heart trying to adjust.

Hatred was replaced by love.

Betrayal by sacrifice.

Rage by despair.

Somewhere in the distance, Damon heard Abby call out his name, asking him if he was all right, but the vampire didn't react. Suddenly completely sober, he got up and made a beeline for his car, his mind racing, his heart pounding uncontrollably in his chest.

"Salvatore!" Abby yelled after him. "Where the hell are you going?"

Damon didn't slow down, didn't even look back as he bellowed from the top of his lunges,

"To kidnap an Original's wife!"

I know, a short one, but I didn't want to make you wait any longer! What did you think? Comment, please! More to come!

xxx LustAndLove