"Absolutely not."
Everyone turned to look at Elena in surprise. Her gaze was steely, her tone firm. She looked only at Damon, ignoring Katherine completely. "I won't let you bargain your life for Jeremy's. We'll find another way."
"Don't worry, Elena," Damon said easily, still leaning against the banister in a casual pose. "Katherine wouldn't dream of killing me, would you?" He grinned and placed a finger under Katherine's chin, tipping her head up. "Do we have a deal?"
"Damon—" This time it was Stefan who spoke, "You don't have to do this."
"Hey, you're the one who told me I've never in my life done a selfless thing," Damon answered, still gazing at Katherine. "Who am I to turn up an opportunity to prove you wrong?"
"You said that to him?" Elena demanded, turning to look at Stefan accusingly. "Why would you say that?"
Katherine laughed, "Because it's true, sweetie. Damon never has, and never will, act selflessly."
A look of annoyance flashed across Damon's face, and Elena felt her hand clench into a fist. She longed to wipe that smirk off of Katherine's face. "You have no idea—" Fury radiated in her voice, and Katherine raised an eyebrow.
"Elena, honey, you're getting awfully defensive for no reason," Katherine shook her head, a cruel smile appearing at her lips. "What makes you think I even want Damon?"
If Bonnie had thought the situation was tense before, it was nothing compared to the silence that followed Katherine's words.
"What?" Damon asked, his expression a mixture of disbelief and amusement. Clearly, there was some part of him that thought she was joking.
"You heard me Damon," Katherine stepped out of his reach so he wasn't touching her anymore. "I don't accept your deal. Jeremy's life is too valuable at the moment…and you're just not worth it."
"Not…worth it?"
Elena winced at Damon's tone. He sounded shocked...and hurt.
Katherine shrugged, grabbing Jeremy's hand and dragging him with her to the door. "Don't get me wrong, but…no."
"Hey!" Tyler broke out of his uncle's grip and started towards Katherine angrily, "Just where do you think you're going with Jeremy?"
"Tyler, no!" Bonnie grabbed his arm, but Tyler whirled around and—in a swift movement—shook her off, perhaps not knowing the extent of his own strength.
Elena screamed as Bonnie went flying backwards, hitting the wall with a resounding thud, before sliding to the floor. Unconscious.
"Now look what you've done!" Marvin roared, grabbing Tyler's shoulders furiously. "What have I told you about keeping your emotions in check!"
"What…what did I—" Tyler stammered, unable to believe what he'd just done.
"Werewolves," Katherine snapped, "A bunch of hotheaded morons!" Without a backwards glance, she hauled Jeremy over her shoulder and disappeared into the night.
Elena and Stefan crouched next to Bonnie worriedly, but Damon still hadn't moved. He looked frozen in place.
"Is she alright?" Marvin asked roughly, nodding towards Bonnie. "Does she need to go to the hospital?"
Stefan felt her pulse, and then checked her head gingerly. "She has a pretty big bruise on her head...it would probably be best to get it checked out." He paused and glanced at Elena, "I can take her to the hospital if you want."
Elena nodded wordlessly, slumping down on the sofa. This night already felt too long, and her nerves were strained from being in a constant state of fear.
"I'll go with you," Tyler muttered, not meeting Stefan's gaze.
Stefan nodded and glanced over at Damon, who was now sitting on the stairs. He seemed completely oblivious to what was happening around him.
The rest of the Lockwoods headed towards the door as one entity. "We'll check around the perimeter of Mystic Falls," Marvin said in a low voice. "See if we can find out what Katherine has planned for that boy."
"Jeremy," Elena interrupted with a small smile. "My brother."
"Yes. It didn't sound like she was planning on hurting him...just wanted him for leverage. But we'll be on the look out either way." Marvin nodded to her curtly before leading his pack outside. Within seconds, they had transformed and vanished into the darkness.
"Be safe," Stefan said to Elena, letting Tyler carry Bonnie out the door. "I'll call you from the hospital."
The door shut behind him, leaving Elena and Damon alone.
"Damon?" Elena slowly walked towards him, slightly afraid of what his reaction would be. She sat down next to him on the staircase, "Are you okay?"
He didn't look up, but closed his eyes briefly. Elena bit her lip before gently placing her hand on his shoulder. He tensed under her touch, but didn't move away. "You know she's wrong, don't you?" Elena waited, but he still didn't respond. "And Stefan...he was wrong, too."
At that, Damon met her gaze. "About what?" he asked roughly, "What was my dear brother wrong about?"
"I've seen you act selflessly, Damon. You're not anything like Katherine...and you deserve so much more than her."
"Do I?" He turned towards her, and she was shocked to see the intensity of the emotion on his face. "Maybe I'm just what she wanted me to be...maybe I'm just the monster she created..."
"You're not, and you know it. Katherine has lost all her humanity, Damon. She doesn't feel...but you feel too much...Why else would you spend 145 years searching for the woman you love?"
"Loved," he corrected automatically, grimacing. "Don't remind me."
They sat in silence for several moments. Elena didn't look at him when she voiced her thoughts, "What's the real reason you're upset? It can't be only because of what Katherine said. You already knew what she was...you already knew that she was a selfish, coldhearted bitch."
"I know," Damon admitted, "I knew she wasn't trapped in that tomb. I knew she had all this time to find me, and I knew she didn't care." He paused, and stared intently at Elena for a second. "But that doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt."
Elena nodded. In a weird way, she understood him. You and I...we have something. An understanding...
"For what it's worth," she said quietly, "I'm sorry."
She leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on his cheek, surprising them both.
Damon turned to look at her abruptly, before she had really pulled away.
You and I...we have something.
He leaned in closer, letting their faces linger inches apart.
An understanding.
And then he was kissing her.
It felt so natural, that Elena kissed him back without even thinking about it. She unconsciously slid her arm around Damon to pull him even closer, and she felt his hands drift down to rest lightly on her waist in response.
Neither of them noticed as the front door opened and two figures watched them bemusedly.
"I always knew this was going to happen," Isobel said to Alaric, rolling her eyes.
*hope I made their first real kiss epic enough :)