My body responded to the car coming to a stop and I awoke from my short nap. It was dark outside but I knew right away that we had made it to the lake house. Still holding Damon's jacket across my chest I exited the back seat.
"Nice place," Stefan noted, taking in the scenery.
I was still too emotionally and physically drained to respond; all I wanted was to be inside in a familiar bed and sleep until I had the strength to think again. I barely even considered that this would be the first time I had ever been here without my parents and I surely did not want to let my nostalgia get in the way of the imminent relaxation ahead of me.
Jeremy found the hidden key under a strategically placed rock in the flowerbed and the five of us went inside. The temperature was very cold but I instantly felt warm inside as soon as the door closed behind us.
"Just like we left it," Jeremy stood next to me and put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close for a sideways one-armed hug. I could tell that he was a little more emotional than I was about being here but I didn't have the energy to press the issue.
Damon and Stefan stood awkwardly in the small living room, looking around casually. Matthew was still standing in the foyer by the front door.
"There are four bedrooms," I informed them, breaking the awkward silence. "One of you will have to sleep on the couch."
"I don't mind," Damon spoke for the first time all night. His voice was very quiet and he made eye contact with me quickly.
I smiled at him in a way that I hoped would translate into expressing some hint of the emotion I had been feeling towards him. His eyes lit up just slightly and he smiled back, a sort of sexy, half-way nervous sideways smile. I could feel my heart rate increase and I looked away quickly.
"Let's all get some sleep. We'll figure out what's going on in the morning," Stefan announced and I was grateful.
"I texted Jenna and told her where we are," Jeremy said to me as we walked up the stairs to our bedrooms. "She's really upset, Elena. We have to tell her what's going on tomorrow. I don't think she can handle this much longer."
I sighed as we reached the bedroom that I had picked out for myself so long ago. "You're right. Tomorrow," I hugged him and opened the door. "Night, Jer."
Without waiting to see if anyone else had followed us upstairs or wanted to speak with me I entered the room and closed the door behind me. The room was sparsely decorated with hints of my childhood preferences. The walls were a light pink and the bedspread was covered with gardens of pastel flowers. There were pictures on the dresser of my family from years ago; out on the lake, picnics in the grass, and even pictures in the snow from winter getaways. I picked up a picture of my dad and I standing on the dock. I must have been around six or seven; he was pointing to a group of ducks on the horizon and I had the biggest smile on my face. Judging by the angle I assumed that the picture must have been taken by my mother standing on the shoreline. A single tear came to my eye and fell slowly. I watched it drop onto the picture in my hand and wiped it away with my thumb, returning the picture to the dresser. I removed my shoes, shirt, and pants and crawled under the covers. There were a few stuffed animals on the bed and I snuggled up to a pink bear, feeling incredibly childish but not caring in the least. A few more tears escaped almost unnoticed before I drifted off to sleep.
...
Klaus stood completely silent in front of Elijah, as pale as his brother had ever seen him before. He blinked several times in quick succession and was unknowingly biting his inner lip.
"What... did you just say?" he stepped closer to Elijah, almost in a threatening stance.
"I went by the Salvatore place. I could see them both inside but Kol's car was nowhere around. I drove by some bars and still couldn't find him. When I was on my way to the Gilbert house to see if he was there I passed the park," he spoke quickly; almost inaudible through the stammering, "There were cop cars everywhere and a hundred people standing around. I went to go see what was going on and... and I saw Kol's car in the parking lot. The whole area was roped off and an officer was taking inventory of the car..." he waited for Klaus to understand what he was saying.
"Did you ask them what happened, you moronic imbecile?!" Klaus had stepped away from Elijah, body language eased just slightly but expression still clearly frustrated.
Elijah knew not to be too concerned about his brothers' anger; this was how he had always reacted to stress. "Yes," he answered, ignoring the rude remark, "The cops wouldn't tell me anything. They said a man had been found bleeding in the woods and they hadn't identified any of the parties involved," he explained; Klaus' eyes fell to the floor, staring blankly as if deep in thought. "I asked one of the people who had been standing there watching and she said she heard a guy was stabbed to death...I freaked out and came back here."
Klaus' gaze returned to Elijah and then moved quickly to Rebekah, who was standing in the doorway with both hands covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide and the color of her cheeks rivaled both of her brothers.
"But you don't know for sure that anyone died?" She interjected, suddenly hopeful.
"No, but-" Elijah responded thoughtfully.
"And you don't even know if Kol was involved, let alone that he was the victim?" Klaus interrupted.
"No...but I'm telling you Nik, I felt it. I felt something bad," Elijah looked from Klaus to Rebekah, trying to express how serious he felt about this notion.
"Damn it!" Klaus kicked a bottle of water that had fallen off the dresser after he had slammed the bathroom door. The top exploded off of it and water covered the carpet. "Get in the car. We're going to get some answers," he held the door open and nearly shoved both Elijah and Rebekah outside into the hallway. "I swear to God, if I find out that a Salvatore was within 20 miles of that park I am going to make sure their names are nothing more than a memory to this fucking town and everyone in it!"
...
Damon stared at the popcorn ceiling above him in the living room of the Gilbert lake house. It had been at least two hours since the house had quieted entirely and although the heater had kicked on he still shivered beneath the small blanket. He knew he would not be able to sleep here; not with Elena so close but still so far away. He contemplated for several more minutes whether or not he should go up to her room but he decided she might still need space and he did not want to push her any further away. Giving up on sleep, he stood and walked through the kitchen to the bay window facing the lake. It was too dark to see much, but a few lights on the water allowed him to see how far the lake was from the house. He retrieved his jacket from the living room where Elena had left it, slid his shoes on and went out the back door as silently as possible. The temperature outside did not feel much colder to him than he had been inside. He found a cemented path and walked carefully down to the dock. A small boat floated beside it, tied tightly to the wood posts on the left. The dock had wooden benches built into the right side and he sat down on one, enjoying the serenity of the water splashing below him. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, feeling more at peace than he had all day.
He stayed there for another hour, fading in and out of consciousness. He was eventually startled out of a very light sleep by the sound of a female voice.
"Damon?" There was no mistaking that this was the voice he had hoped to hear say his name for the past week and he considered for a moment if he might be dreaming. Elena stood at the foot of the dock, blanket covering her shoulders but still shivering. "What are you doing out here?" she asked in a whisper.
"De-stressing?" he answered, not sure how appropriate the response was.
He could see her face relax slightly. "I thought you left," she walked slowly onto the dock and he stood up to meet her.
"I wouldn't leave you again," he said quietly, wanting to touch her but unsure if she wanted the same.
She just nodded and looked down at her feet. "Klaus told me about what happened to your dad," she admitted, still staring at the ground.
Damon sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Seeing her standing here so vulnerable and so cold was nearly too much for him. He wanted to suggest they go inside but knew that if they did they would have to go back to their facade of an awkward friendship. "I'm sorry about this, Elena. I never wanted to involve you."
She finally looked up at him, eyes questioning. "Is it true? I mean, did you know about Klaus' dad when Trey broke into your house that night?" she asked cautiously.
"No," Damon responded quickly, trying to figure out if she thought he was lying to her - if she had actually considered that he had killed Trey on purpose. "I had a newspaper article about the man who killed my dad. All I had was a name and it had no significance to me whatsoever. I thought Trey was just a random burglar. I didn't know he was related to him in any way. I knew Trey's last name but of course it was different from Klaus' dad... Stefan kept all the stories about Trey's family but I never wanted to see any of them. If I had, I would have figured it all out sooner. He showed them to me yesterday and I saw Klaus' name. That's the first time I made the connection," he watched her reaction, unable to decide if she believed him or not. "I swear, Elena. I had no idea."
"I believe you," she nodded and looked away again. "So Trey must have known, then. Surely it was no coincidence that he just happened to break into your house. What was he after?"
Damon looked out at the reflection of the moon in the water. "My dad showed me where he had hidden a diamond in our house before he died. I guess it belonged to Klaus' dad. Not sure why Trey wanted it."
Elena looked back at Damon, more curious than before. "He didn't tell me that part," she whispered, slightly intrigued.
"Maybe he doesn't know," Damon suggested with a shrug.
Elena nodded again and stared at the same spot in the water that Damon was looking at. They were quiet for a few moments until Damon finally turned to her. "I'm so sorry about last weekend, Elena. I didn't understand why you left and after your text I thought-"
"Don't apologize," she interrupted and Damon quieted quickly, nervous about what that comment meant. "I pushed you away, I know. It was my fault. I was just confused," she looked into his troubled eyes and felt terrible all over again.
After a few seconds had passed he asked, "Are you still confused?"
She allowed herself to smile slowly and she stepped closer to him. When she reached for his hand he felt warmth overwhelm his body and the shivering stopped completely. The only thing he could feel now was the rapid beating of his heart and the heavy rise and fall of his chest with each breath. "No," she answered finally. "I know what I want."
Without waiting for an explanation he put his hand on her lower back and pulled her close, kissing her with all the ferocity of the built up frustration and regret he had felt for the past week. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into his embrace and not caring for one second who might be watching them.
When they finally pulled apart their eyes blazed with passion and relief. Damon ran a hand through her hair and they could not look away from one another. "How are we going to make this work?" he hated to come back to reality in light of the fairytale moment they had just shared; but the truth was, Stefan was only feet away from them right now and he knew they could not just waltz inside holding hands and go to bed together.
"I don't know," she answered truthfully, "But we'll find a way. It's just going to take some time. I don't think he needs to know right away."
Damon knew exactly whom she was referring to and he looked up at the house, almost as if he expected Stefan to be standing in the window. The house remained dark however and he looked back down at Elena. "I agree. We'll figure this out, okay?" he smiled reassuringly at her and tucked her hair behind her ear.
Elena blushed slightly at the tenderness of the moment and nodded. "We should go back in before anyone else wakes up."
He nodded in agreement and took her hand, if only for another few moments. They walked back up the path and into the dark kitchen. He walked her to the stairs and she turned hesitantly to him before dropping his hand. She leaned up and kissed his cheek; it would not feel right to do anything more being so close to the man she once cared so deeply for. They whispered their goodnights and she returned to her bedroom upstairs. Once Damon's head hit the cushion on the couch sleep found him instantly and he did not awaken once more all night.