Disclaimer: L.J. Smith created these characters and the CW created this universe. I just play in it.

Author's note: I know, I know, I abandoned you guys. I'm wretched. It started as it usually does, going on vacation, then getting busy once you get home, then forgetting to make time to write... Anyway, enough excuses. You guys have stuck with me this long - you deserve a cut straight to the action!

Chapter 21

Damon checked his watch. He sighed and shifted ever so slightly on the plush loveseat. He glanced around the room, taking in the surroundings. It wasn't hard to find this place; it was her modus opperandi. Hell, he taught her that. He reflected on his current situation while he waited for her to return to her temporary lair.

He thought about Stefan, still in his self-imposed funk. But each day Elena coaxed him closer and closer to joining the land of the living - so to speak. He had no doubt that Stefan would be up and running in no time, returning as an ever-brooding participant in their never-ending love triangle. Then there was the invention that Pearl entrusted to him; none of his research had proved fruitful. He still didn't know what the damn thing did. He was loath to say it, but Bonnie just might be their best option if they wanted to crack this case. Maybe he could send Elena in, batting those beautiful brown eyes. Elena. Alaric didn't tell her who turned Isobel; but perhaps it was only a matter of time before she found out. He'd rather she found out from him than from Isobel or Alaric. He also didn't know if Isobel planned to tell her that her Uncle John was actually her biological father. Damon looked up when he heard the door open and click shut.

"Well, well, well. If isn't my creator."

He looked up. She had returned. Damon smiled widely, yet the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Isobel. It's been awhile."

"Hm," she said, strolling into the room and sitting in a nearby armchair. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Oh, we both know this isn't yours. I think the real question is what brings you to my humble town?"

Isobel smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"I'm not going to ask twice."

Isobel sighed. "You used to be more fun. Fine, if you must know, several things. Mostly business."

"Business?"

"Yes. I'm looking for a device - an invention, if you will. John Gilbert is failing miserably, so I'm here to make sure it gets into the right hands."

"Hm. And whose hands would that be?"

She smiled. "Someone you know and love."

Damon chuckled. "That, my dear, is a very short list."

"Yes, but I presume Katherine's still on it," she said, leaning forward.

Damon gritted his teeth. "Well now, that's a bit presumptuous, don't you think?"

"Oh please," Isobel said, waving her hand in the air. "Everyone knows that the Salvatore brothers were gaga over Katherine, though it appears Stefan has replaced her in his affections." She noted Damon's careful non-reaction. "I've done my research," she said.

"Well apparently not very well. I don't give a damn about Katherine. She clearly didn't give a damn about either of us, so why should we care after all these years?"

Isobel clucked her tongue. "Tsk tsk, Damon. You of all people should know she cares - in her way. Anyway, that's only one of my reasons for coming here. I'm curious about Elena myself."

"Curious about Elena?" he scoffed. "What's it to you; did that mothering gene finally kick in? Feel like nesting with Uncle John? You can't just jump back into her life like it's nothing. She, unlike you, has feelings."

Isobel tried not to show her surprise over Damon knowing about John. She redirected the focus. "Oh, what do you care about her feelings, hm? I must say, you've really changed, Damon."

"Thank you," he said dryly.

"I didn't mean it as a compliment. You're weaker. You're becoming just like your brother, letting your emotions take control. Why on earth would you allow that to happen? Everything's so much better without it. You taught me that."

"Well maybe some things are worth it."

"Like love?" she taunted.

"Like Elena. So as we were saying… back the hell off. This is still my town, and I'm not going to let you or anyone else mess with it."

"Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots," Isobel said, rolling her eyes. "What do you think this is all about, Damon? I'm not here to terrorize the town for the hell of it. All I want is the device and a little chat with my daughter. Is that so bad?"

Damon folded his arms, raising an eyebrow in response.

Isobel huffed. "Do you have it?" She knew damn well he did; Pearl told John as much right before he staked her. Pity, she had wanted to meet her.

"If I did, I certainly wouldn't tell you," he said, folding his arms.

"But Katherine wants it. And you know Katherine always gets what she wants."

Damon knew that all too well. But he still wouldn't play nice. "Well then Katherine can get off her lazy ass and come down here and ask for it herself."

"Don't be so obstinate. It doesn't suit you," she said dangerously. "Besides, I'm meeting with Elena this afternoon. I would hate for that meeting to go… badly."

All of a sudden, Isobel found herself in the air, held up by Damon's hand squeezing her throat. "You harm one hair on her head, and I swear to God I will tear you to pieces myself," he growled. He squeezed tighter for effect before releasing her, letting her drop to the ground, gasping for breath.

"So… it's true…" she croaked.

"What?" he snarled.

"You are in love with her," she said, wide-eyed, massaging her throat.

"Goodbye, Isobel," Damon said curtly, storming out and slamming the door behind him.

"Stefan, come on. I need you. We need you. You've got to pull yourself together; you can't keep blaming yourself for what happened in the past. The past is done, over with. What matters is the present. And the future. And you need to be a part of both," Elena pleaded, holding the bag of blood up to the bars on the door, a tiny straw protruding from it as if it was a Capri Sun.

Stefan looked up at her, still miserable. But something in her eyes made him reconsider. She was pleading with him to rejoin the world, to be with her. He slowly stood, taking painstakingly small steps toward the door.

"It's deer, I swear," she said, noticing the way he was warily eyeing the bag. She remembered how Damon whined the whole time he prepared it.

Stefan took the proffered bag, feeling the weight of it in his hands before he slowly raised it to his lips. He looked once more at Elena; the hope in her eyes spurring him on. In that moment, he forgave himself of the past. He vowed to make a new future with Elena, one that would be free of hurt and pain. He drank, trying to drink slowly like one who was tasting his first water after crossing the desert. But all too soon the bag was crumpled in his fist.

"Wait, I'll get another," Elena said, excitedly. She ran off before he could call after her. She came back with two more bags, which he drank with equal caution.

When he finished, he looked around his cell. "I'm ready," he said simply.

Elena beamed as she grabbed the keys, dropping them twice as she fumbled trying to unlock the door. It finally swung open, and she rushed into his arms. She forgot how much she missed him, and all of a sudden it really hit home how close to death he was.

Stefan held her, never wanting to let go. He buried his face in her hair, careful not to crush her in his strengthening hold. "I love you," he breathed into her ear.

"I love you too," she said. She meant it. But as the words were coming out of her mouth, she realized she meant them in a completely different way now. She told herself that the minute he was fully recovered, she'd break it to him gently. She pulled away. "You need some rest now. Go on to your room; I've got it all fixed up. Take a nap for a few hours - I promise you'll feel much better."

"Alright," he said. He started to walk up the stairs, then paused, turning and coming back down. "Thank you for giving me my life back," he said, framing her face with his hands and placing the gentlest of kisses on her lips. With that, he headed upstairs and into his room, not seeing the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Elena took a deep breath and turned off the lights, trudging up the stairs.

Elena bit her lip and took another anxious sip of water. She looked around the Grill, noticing it was still very busy for the lunch crowd. She sat at an empty table, but kept glancing over to the corner where Damon and Alaric were pretending not to watch her. She was surprised when a beautiful brunette slid into the chair opposite her.

"Hello, Elena."

"Hi," Elena said. She wasn't sure what to call her; Isobel? Mom?

"How have you been?" Isobel said, polite yet distant.

Elena opened and closed her mouth. "Um… for the last sixteen years? Good, in general. Right now… well, I've been better."

Isobel nodded. "I know. This must be a terrible shock to you. But at least you're now familiar with my world. This would have been much harder if you didn't know about… my kind."

Elena attempted a smile. "I suppose so - but I still have so many questions for you. What made you want to turn? Who's my father?" she blurted out.

Isobel pursed her lips. "I'm not here to give you answers, Elena. Besides, even if I did, they wouldn't give you any comfort. I became what I am because I wanted it, plain and simple. I don't expect you to understand… then again, maybe I do. Surely you've considered it."

"Considered what?"

"Well in a few years, you'll age past Stefan's appearance. That will be more than a little awkward. And think about how you will look ten years down the road, twenty… Are you going to stay with a teenager into your retirement years or are you going to change and live with him forever?"

Elena swallowed thickly. "I've never really thought about it," she lied. Of course she wondered; how could she not, when Katherine looked so much like her? It was easy to picture. But she surprisingly hadn't had the time to truly give it serious thought, what with all the crazy things that had happened this year.

"Hm. Well that's something you'll need to decide - and quickly."

Elena chose to avoid the subject. "Well then can you at least tell me who my father is?"

Isobel waved away her question. "Not important. He was no good back then, and he's no good now. You're better off in the dark. But let's come to the point of this conversation, shall we?"

Elena flinched. "I wasn't aware this conversation had a particular point."

"I know. And I'm sorry I'm not who you thought I would be. But that doesn't matter now. What matters is the device."

"The what?" Elena asked, confused.

"There's a device I need, one of Johnathan Gilbert's inventions. I need it and you're going to get it for me."

In the corner, both Damon and Alaric looked up in alarm.

"I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

Isobel spoke slowly, as if Elena didn't understand English. "There's a device. I need it. And you will get it. Or else bad things will happen."

Elena gaped at her. "Bad things will happen… to who?"

Isobel smiled sweetly. "To you, of course." She held up a hand. "And tell Damon to stay in his time-out corner. I know he and Alaric are there watching this entire meeting."

Elena looked up to see Damon gripping his table, the tabletop bending under his fingers. Alaric looked just as anxious, but she slowly nodded to them both, mouthing that she was fine.

Isobel cocked her head to one side. "Something confuses me, though. Why isn't your precious Stefan here, defending you from mommy dearest?"

"He's… not feeling well," Elena said. She didn't trust Isobel; that's all she was willing to offer as far as an explanation was concerned.

"Ah. Shame. I didn't realize; I've only gotten the Reader's Digest version of events around here." She stood up. "Still, it was… nice meeting you, Elena. Let's meet tomorrow night - say, in the town square. I'm sure that's plenty of time to scare up the device. And here's a helpful hint; your search begins and ends with Damon. There's a lot he's not telling you, Elena. And I'm sure he's just dying for a chance to tell you before you hear things from less… desirable sources. See you around." She turned on one heel and exited the restaurant.

Elena blinked several times, not realizing that she had wrapped her arms around herself. She also felt panic building within her - was this what an anxiety attack felt like? She didn't even notice the men walk up to her table.

"Breathe, Elena," Alaric said, running his fingers through his hair. Damn that Isobel. It was true - she was only a monster now.

"Elena? Elena, can you hear us?" Damon asked, squinting his eyes at her. She looked up from the table and met his eyes. She could feel the tears welling up, threatening to slide down her cheeks, but she didn't want to lose it here in front of all these people.

"We should get out of here," Alaric said.

Damon nodded in agreement. "Come on, Elena." He gently gripped her arms and guided her up and out of the chair. She was shaking.

"Damon…" she said, unable to vocalize the thoughts and feelings swirling around in her head.

"I know," he said, not sure if she was going to go crazy on him. That's all they needed. He was surprised when she closed her eyes and leaned into his chest, sliding her arms around his waist and holding on for dear life. "Hey, it's… uh… it's gonna be ok," he said, folding his arms around her and stroking her hair. He ignored Alaric's expression. "Let's go, hm?" he mumbled against her forehead, pressing a kiss to it. He looked up to see Bonnie across the room. Shit. She was giving him a major death glare. He kept his eyes on Bonnie as he spoke to Elena. "Elena, come on. We need to regroup. Do you want to go get something to eat? I mean, somewhere else?" He could feel Elena sigh against his chest, mumbling something incomprehensible. "What?" he asked, finally looking at her.

She pulled away. "I wanna go home."

"Ok, home it is," Damon said, relieved that they could get the hell out of there. The last thing he wanted to do was provoke a witch right now.

"I'll drive," Alaric said, pointedly guiding Elena away from Damon, his hand on her back as the made their way through the restaurant.

Damon nodded at Bonnie as they passed her. She regarded him coolly, not moving a muscle. Well… it could have gone worse.

"Why don't you get settled; we'll get you some water," Alaric said, watching Elena sink onto the couch. He jerked his head at Damon, who only rolled his eyes at him as he followed him into the kitchen. Alaric waited until they were out of earshot before laying into Damon. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Jesus, what?" Damon asked.

"I mean when Elena says she wants to go home, we end up here. At your house."

Damon smirked. "Yeah, well, what can I say? She spends so much time here these days that she considers it her second home."

"Hm. And what does she consider her second bed?" Alaric accused. Before Damon could answer, Stefan walked in the room.

"Hey guys."

"Little brother! Look at you, all up and walking around and sane," Damon chirped. Alaric rolled his eyes.

"How are you feeling, Stefan?" he asked politely.

"Better, much better, thank you. And before I put my foot in my mouth, what's wrong with Elena?" Stefan asked.

Alaric and Damon exchanged a glance. Damon spoke up. "She's had a bit of a nasty shock."

Stefan waited. "Well?"

Alaric filled a glass with water. "Isobel."

Damon nodded at Stefan's confused expression. "You've missed a lot, kid. Isobel is a descendant of Katherine who also happens to be Alaric's ex-wife, who also happens to be Elena's mother."

"What? Does that mean you're…" Stefan looked at Alaric in askance.

"Whoa! No, uh-uh, I'm just her teacher. That went down years ago; Isobel never told me. We didn't find out until recently."

Stefan let it all sink in. "So… she just found all this out?"

"Not only that…" Damon said. "She just met her for the first time."

"Oh!" Stefan peered through the arch into the living room, seeing Elena sitting there, staring into space.

Damon continued. "Yeah, and she' s a piece of work. Poor thing didn't know her mother was a vampire until… what, yesterday?" he looked to Alaric for confirmation.

"Yeah. And now she's processing everything. Not only did she just meet her birth mother, she found out she's a heartless bitch," Alaric said bitterly. "Isobel's not even interested in learning more about her. She's just on some cockeyed mission to find some mythical device."

"Well then what are we standing around here for? We need to be there for her," Stefan said, breezing past them and sitting on the couch next to Elena.

"Always the hero," Damon muttered.

"This conversation isn't finished," Alaric said, tapping his ear and pointing to let Damon know that he wasn't continuing in case Stefan could hear them. Damon made a face at him and they went into the living room.

Elena looked up when they sat down across from her. She noticed Damon's jaw twitching as he took in Stefan's protective stance, his arm around her shoulders and his other hand entwined in hers. She pleaded with her eyes, hoping that somehow she could convey that she wished it was Damon comforting her, that now wasn't the time to dump Stefan in a group setting like this.

Alaric decided to break the awkward silence. "So… this device. What is it, and where is it?"

"I don't know what it is, but Pearl gave it to me as some sort of peace/trust offering. It's right here," Damon said, pulling it out and setting it on the table.

Stefan picked it up. "It looks like one of those compasses, the vampire detectors."

"Yeah, but that's not what it is. And hell if I know. But I want to know what it is before handing it over to anyone," Damon said.

"You know who might know…" Stefan said, giving Damon a significant look.

Damon nodded. "I know. I was just hoping it wouldn't come to that."

"Wouldn't come to what?" Elena said.

"Are you serious? No way, I'm not doing anything to help… them," Bonnie said, with an angry glance toward the Salvatore brothers.

"But it's not just them, the whole town could be in trouble! We just need to figure out what it is before handing it over to -" Elena choked on her words. What was she going to say, 'to my mother?' "To more dangerous vampires."

Damon smirked. "Yeah, believe it or not, sister, we ain't the only bloodsuckers in town, and we're actually trying to prevent any impending massacres, so if you could find it in your cold, cold heart to help a guy out, we'd be eternally grateful."

Stefan glared at him. "What he's trying to say is that we don't want anyone to get hurt, and I don't think Isobel and her friends have the best of intentions. The town is in danger, and we need to figure out how to keep it safe."

Bonnie sighed. "Fine. But just know that I'm doing this for the innocent people out there." She left the room and returned with Emily's grimoire. "I've been doing a bit of research and it turns out that all of Johnathan Gilbert's inventions were total crap."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Total crap? But they work, we've seen them."

Bonnie shook her head. "Oh, they work alright, but not because of Johnathan. Emily spelled them all. She was under Katherine's control, sworn to protect her and all, but this was kind of like a loophole in their contract. A way to keep her fellow townsfolk safe from the vampires. That device looks familiar… let me see," she said, flipping the pages until she found what she was looking for. "Here it is," she said, pointing to a diagram. "It's a one-time-use-only kind of thing, but it looks like it's meant to incapacitate vampires for at least five minutes."

"Five minutes, huh?" Damon said, rubbing his chin.

"I wonder what they're going to use it for. Or when," Stefan mused.

"Oh, I think we can all guess the when," Damon said.

"Founders' Day," Elena answered, things suddenly clicking. A big crowd, lots of commotion, fireworks, it would be perfect. "But why?"

"I don't know why Katherine or Isobel would want to kill them, but dear Uncle John would love nothing better than to wipe us all out in one fell swoop. And that goes for the entire town council as well," Damon said.

"Is there a way to deactivate it?" Elena asked.

"I don't know…" Bonnie said.

Stefan looked at her, pleading in his eyes. "Let's be honest. I know you would be perfectly happy for us all to disappear and never come back. And if this device is activated and John gets his way, that's a very real possibility. But I put this to you: doesn't it worry you just a bit that this whole thing is being masterminded by Katherine and her minions?"

Damon snorted. "Yeah, it's like spending your time picking off the stormtroopers when Darth Vader's on your tail."

He was met with three blank stares.

"What, really? Nobody? Bueller? Haven't you ever heard of a little phenomenon called Star Wars?"

"Oh, we've seen Star Wars, we just didn't expect so… fanboy a reference," Elena smirked. "But Han Solo over here makes a point. Until we know more about the master plan, we need to deactivate the device."

All eyes turned to Bonnie. She returned their looks defiantly until her eyes met Elena's. She mentally cursed at herself the instant she caved. "Fine," she said tersely. "Let me get a few thing together." She disappeared into the other room, leaving Elena to breathe a huge sigh of relief and the brothers to exchange a wary glance.

"You think she'll really do it?" Damon said, so low that only Stefan could hear him.

"We have to trust her," Stefan replied, matching his tone. He cleared his throat and spoke aloud. "I'll just go see if I can help her."

Damon watched him exit the room before he turned to Elena with a knowing smirk. "So, I'm Han Solo, hm?"

"Oh, shut up, it's because you're a scoundrel and you know it," Elena said, her blush betraying her casual nonchalance.

"Mm-hm. But you like scoundrels. Which would make you Princess Leia. Oh, what I wouldn't give to see you in that slave girl costume…" he mused.

Elena's blush deepened. "That is something I can positively guarantee you won't see in this lifetime."

Damon reached out a hand, trailing a finger from her collarbone down the front of her shirt. Elena's breath hitched in her throat as his finger descended, hooking between the low-rise waist of her jeans and her skin, pulling her close to him. "Not in this lifetime, perhaps," he agreed, his lips so close his breath was mixing with hers, "but maybe in the next." He closed the gap and kissed her, shocking her in his daring to kiss her with his brother in the very next room.

Elena's head spun as just as quickly as he had drawn her close, he suddenly disappeared, and she opened her eyes to find him at the opposite side of the room, leaning casually against the wall and inspecting his fingernails.

"I'm ready," Bonnie said, setting up some equipment in the middle of the room. Stefan helped her arrange things, then stepped back to let her do her work.

They watched as she did some incantations, the device levitating and shining. Something happened - they just weren't sure what. And suddenly, the device dropped. The otherworldly light left the room and everything looked ordinary again.

"It's done," Bonnie said, picking up the device and tossing it to Elena. Elena turned it over and over in her hands.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, squeezing Bonnie's hand.

"Don't mention it," she mumbled. Really. Don't, because what Elena and her boy toys didn't know was that she chanted a few meaningless spells, leaving the device in perfect working order. She only hoped that Damon and Stefan were ignorant or forgetful enough not to know the difference. She loved Elena like a sister, but if there was a way to save her from these killers, by God she was going to do whatever it took to protect her friends and her town. And if that meant no more Salvatore brothers, then so be it…

Author's note: The plot thickens! Ok, so you already sort of knew where it was going, but not necessarily my twisted version! And how about a shout out to our boy Ian for beating out not only Wolverine but both Team Edward and Team Jacob for EW's coveted Sexy Beast title! Yeah! So as usual, let me know what you think. The next chapter won't take quite so long - this story needs to wrap up before Season 2 begins. Thanks for reading and reviewing!