Chapter 25 - Building Bridges

PRESENT DAY

Damon falls silent, completely flabbergasted.

"What? What's wrong?" Rebekah asks, confused and eager for answers. "Why are you asking about my brother's name?"

"Because that's the name the men that killed Elena's parents mentioned."

Rebekah stammers incoherently for a minute or so. "What? That-that can't be possible."

"No. I heard it. We all heard it. I'd never forget that name."

"It can't be my brother. He wouldn't-he couldn't-it just can't be my brother." Rebekah shakes her head. "Maybe it's a different Klaus."

"A different Klaus?" Damon questions. "How many Klaus' can there be? What sort of name is Klaus anyway?" he asks, forgetting all semblance of decency and manners.

"It's short for Niklaus. It's a rare name but this is America, lots of people have bloody weird names. It's hardly like my brother is the only person in the world with that name."

Damon isn't convinced, but he also understands Rebekah's logic. What are the chances of this being the same Klaus? It was coincidental enough that Damon met Rebekah, but for her brother to be the same man that they're all running from? That can't be possible...can it?

"What's he like - your brother?"

Rebekah rubs her palms on her jeans and gets up shaking her head. "I'm not going to do this."

"Do what?"

"Sit and talk about my brother like he's some sort of terrorist. It's not him."

"I'm not saying it is, all I'm saying is he has the same name as the one I heard."

"I would know if he was the one that had been after Katherine all these years. I was with her for two years. There would've been some sign, some-Oh, my god."

"What?"

"You said that Katherine told you I betrayed her."

"Yeah..."

"That day in L.A, the day she disappeared is the day Klaus brought me home. I spoke with him on a pay-phone and told him where I was so we could talk."

Damon frowns, failing to connect the dots.

"Why would Katherine tell you I betrayed her when I didn't? Why wouldn't she just say we were separated or went our different ways?"

Damon finally understands. "She saw you with him."

Rebekah flops back down into her seat, a look of disbelief on her face. "I can't believe it."

"You and me both," Damon says, still unable to process what's happening. All these answers he's been so desperately wanting for three months are starting to fall into his lap and he can't believe it.

"But I don't-I don't understand," Rebekah breathes. "Why would he want her? And Elena's parents...I knew he was capable of some dark stuff, but this..."

"Dark stuff? Like what?"

Rebekah's reluctant blue eyes meet his and he can sense her apprehension at sharing the secrets of her family with a man she met less than 24 hours ago. Usually he would respect her privacy and back off, but given the situation he decides to persist.

"What kind of man is he?"

She frowns and anger comes across her face. "No matter what he's done he's still my brother," she bites defensively. "You don't know anything about him."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to understand why he'd do something like this. It's not exactly..." he clears his throat, "...you know, normal."

"Don't you think I know that?" she retorts, flustered and clearly distressed. She gets up and stands with her back to him. "Nothing about my family has ever been normal."

Damon senses she's going to say more so remains silent so as not to deter her.

"My brothers...they've always been the same. Overbearingly over-protective. Especially because I'm the youngest. Even my sister, Freya, was the same. As much as I love them, I've always been different to them. I don't wanna get into the details, but let's just say, they've never made money in conventional ways. Just before I ended up on the street, stuff was so bad at home that I chose to be homeless because it was better than being trapped there."

She doesn't have to say anymore than that. "You don't have to explain."

"I haven't even told Lexi about them. It's too complicated."

"It takes time to open up about that stuff."

Rebekah seems to remember herself and retreats back into herself. She sits back down and sighs. "So what now?"

"We do what we were going to do before - we find Katherine. Are you still in touch with Klaus?"

She nods. "He calls me every week, usually three or four times. We've always been close, even when we've been apart."

"Then this makes everything easier."

"How?"

"Because Klaus is your brother. You can take us right to him and we can ask him about Katherine."

She scoffs. "You don't just ask Nik questions he doesn't want to answer. He doesn't take well to people exposing his secrets and this is a secret he's worked to hide for a long time."

"What do you want to do, then?"

Rebekah sighs again, deeper this time. "We really don't have much of a choice, do we? I'm involved in this now. I can't walk away knowing my own brother is after Katherine. I need to know why. "

"You mean, you'll take me to Klaus?"

She nods and Damon feels his entire being sink with relief. Yet surprisingly, it's not relief because he's a step closer to knowing more about Katherine. It's relief because he knows that finding Klaus could be the thing that frees Stefan from being on the run. As soon as he has an address for Klaus, he can send the police armed with the information he has and it'll be the beginning of the end. Damon tried to convince himself as much as Stefan and Elena, that they would all be okay but this is the first time he truly believes it. There's a light at the end of the tunnel and though he couldn't have fathomed putting his mission to find Katherine on the back-burner, he's considering it. After all, he can't sacrifice an opportunity like just because he can't let go of his determination to find Katherine above all else.

"But as long as you promise not to do anything rash."

"Rash?" Damon questions.

"You know what I mean. You think he's guilty of killing Elena's parents and possibly harming Katherine, but you don't know that for a fact."

"So?"

"So no police."

It's as though she's read his mind.

"No police," he agrees.

"I mean it."

"So do I. I won't get the police involved. Like you said, we don't know anything. I'm a police officer and I believe in our justice system. It's innocent until proven guilty."

Rebekah eyes him for a few moments, her eyes narrow with suspicion. "Don't get your hopes up about what you might find when we get there."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, we could be wrong about all of this."

"What about what you said about Katherine seeing Klaus in L.A?"

"That could just be a coincidence that she left that day."

"And her telling me you betrayed her?"

Rebekah has no answer to that, so simply shrugs.

"My brother isn't the most reasonable man and he has a bad temper. He won't like a stranger wading into his house and asking questions."

"I can handle myself."

"You don't know him."

"And you don't know me." It's supposed to sound a lot less threatening and obnoxious than it comes out. "What I mean is... I'm willing to do anything to get to the bottom of this thing and end it."

"That's the thing, if Niklaus wanted to end it, Katherine would already be dead."

Shivers shoot down Damon's spine. He's dealt with all manner of immoral and criminal people in his past, but something about this man is making him incredibly nervous. It reinforces the idea that he needs to do whatever it takes to put Klaus behind bars. Rebekah is still clinging to the hope that her brother isn't the evil, vindictive predator and murderer he appears to be, but Damon knows better. He doesn't even have to meet or speak to Klaus to know that he is the man that has had Katherine so terrified she's been running for five years and that he is the man that had two innocent people shot dead. Damon knows now that whatever he has to do to fix this mess and put Klaus behind bars is necessary. He's been so preoccupied with finding Katherine, but keeping her safe and alive - along with Stefan and Elena - is most important and getting to the root of it all is the best and most simple solution.

"Where does he live?"

"Same place as always. Cold Spring."

"Cold Spring, New York?" Damon asks with raised eyebrows.

Rebekah nods and Damon realises all his talk these last few days about fate is true. Perhaps he could've passed off meeting Katherine as fate, even Stefan meeting Elena and bringing her to New York the day after Katherine left, but not the rest of it. This was meant to happen, he can see that clearly now.

"We better book some flights."

"Flights?" Rebekah squeaks.

"I'm thinking we shouldn't drive to New York," Damon laughs lightly.

"Oh, no, of course. It's just fast, that's all."

Damon looks Rebekah square in the eyes. "Are you sure you're okay with this? I told you before, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If you don't want to go, I can-"

"No, I'm going," she states firmly.

"Okay. So I'll look for the next flights out and fill my brother in on what's going on."

"Lexi's gonna go nuts when I tell her."

"Right now, I think we're all going nuts."

She manages to crack a smile. "I think you're right."

"This is crazy," Elena exclaims.

"I know but-"

"Stefan, are you hearing this?"

"I-" is all Stefan manages to get out.

"I know it's a shock, believe me, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. But this is good news."

"Is it? Apparently you and I have different definitions of good news," Elena retorts, sarcastically.

"The only way to solve this mess we're in is to find the people who killed Elena's parents so we can turn them into the police and we've just been handed them on a plate."

Stefan looks to Elena. "That's true."

"Of course it's true. Don't you see? This is the best thing that could've happened to us. Up until now, we had nothing. I've been grasping at straws, hoping it'd all come together but now it's simple. We fly back to New York, I'll call Caroline when we land, give her all the details and have an entire squad at Klaus' address by the end of the day."

"You've forgotten one important detail in all of this. Katherine," Elena says, her eyes narrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've been saying over and over again you don't want the police involved because you wanted to find Katherine yourself, so why would you call the police before you've even found her?"

"Because despite what you believe, I do care about more than just Katherine."

"Really?"

"Okay, you two, stop," Stefan says, being the mediator as always. He looks to Damon. "What are you going to do about Katherine?"

"The police'll sort it all out. They'll arrest Klaus and he'll tell them what they need to know, who she is and why he's been after her."

"But that doesn't help you find her."

"Then I'll keep looking."

"For how long?" Stefan asks.

"As long as it takes."

"But she doesn't want to be found, Damon."

"Stefan's right. When are you gonna give it up?"

Damon can feel his heart racing with the rising anger. "Just be ready to leave in an hour. We need to be at the airport." He turns to leave the room.

Elena tuts. "So much for Katherine not being the only thing he cares about."

Damon turns back around, "What do you know about how I feel or what I care about? You have no idea what I've been going through this last week. Since Katherine's left I've nearly lost my job, I haven't been eating, I haven't been sleeping, I can barely even think straight. And I-I-I have this-this constant pain in my chest that won't go away no matter what I do and I get these moments where I'm so scared I can't even breathe. Maybe you think I'm selfish and maybe you blame me for all of this happening, but I can't, give up on finding Katherine and I won't. She might not mean anything to you, but I love her. Okay? I love her. You think you're the only one that's hurting, but you're wrong."

By the time he's finished speaking, Damon's breathing is heavy and his eyes are brimming with tears. Stefan and Elena stand side by side staring at him in surprise. Damon clears his throat, the urge to cry overwhelming him. He can't believe he exploded like that, but has to admit it's a relief.

Stefan is the first one to break the silence. "Damon...it's okay."

Damon shakes his head, not wanting his empty comforts. "No, it's not. Nothing is okay. But you know what? I'm going to make everything okay for you. Why do you think I'm doing this? I'll admit I've been consumed with finding Katherine, but through all of this I've never once stopped thinking about what's best for you. I want you to be safe, I want you to be happy because you're my brother and it's my job to protect you. And you know, when Rebekah told me that Klaus was her brother, my first thought wasn't about finding Katherine, it was about freeing you from this mess that I dragged you into."

Tears fill Stefan's eyes and even Elena looks overcome with emotion.

"It's not your fault. None of it's your fault," Stefan reassures Damon, his voice quiet.

"But it is though, isn't it? That's what Elena thinks."

For once Elena has no words to hit back with, no fight left in her. Damon breathes in deeply and attempts to recompose himself.

"When we get to New York, I'll book you two into a motel in the city. Thanks to my being smart enough to save, we've got plenty of money left. Then I'll go with Rebekah to Cold Spring."

"You're still going to Cold Spring? But I thought you said you were just going to direct the police there?"

"I am and I will, but I want to talk to him myself first. Get some answers."

"Damon, it's too dangerous."

"I'll be with Rebekah."

"And she can protect you, can she?" Stefan says, sarcasm in his voice.

"She's his sister, he'll listen to her."

"Since when do siblings ever listen to each other?" Stefan gives Damon a small smile, and Damon knows it's Stefan's attempt to lighten the mood, but nothing can do that in the circumstances.

"There's all kinds of love in the world, brother. Never underestimate the love of siblings."

Damon's gaze flits over to Elena and her eyes immediately drop to the floor.

"Remember, we leave for the airport in an hour." Damon walks towards the door. "And I don't want either of you worrying about anything. It's all gonna be over soon."

As Damon goes next door to his own room, he realises that even when he is weak he must be strong, not just for their sake's but also for his.

Despite Damon watching the minutes tick by, the morning seems to whizz by. Rebekah called Lexi to let her know she was leaving with Damon, Stefan and Elena for New York later that afternoon and Lexi returned home in a fit of anger and dismay. Just as Stefan and Elena seem to automatically place blame at Damon's door, so did Lexi. She accused him of filling Rebekah's head with nonsense and emotionally blackmailing her to tag along, which was untrue. Damon didn't even try to argue, he knew Lexi well enough to know she was just reacting out of fear for their safety. Lexi is passionate and outspoken, particularly when it comes to those she cares about and Damon has always admired her for that. Eventually Lexi calmed down enough to listen to reason and despite not liking their plan to go to New York, she realised that Rebekah and Damon are every bit as stubborn as she is. She insisted on going to New York with them, but Rebekah reminded her that she had work commitments and mid-term exams, which Lexi couldn't argue with.

They all parted from Lexi on good terms, with rib-cracking hugs and promises to check-in with her every hour or so. Damon thanked her unreservedly. Regretfully, he'd had little chance to spend quality time with Lexi, but the short time he'd been with her had provided him with some semblance of comfort and security. Though his childhood wasn't the happiest, Lexi symbolises the happiest parts of it, along with Stefan and Mr Branson and that still means a lot to Damon.

The flight to New York from Chicago is just over two hours and the last minute booking means the four seats are scattered, which Damon is grateful for because it allows him to sit in silence. Luckily he hit the jackpot and one of the seats next to him is empty - he guesses the person who booked the seat was late and missed the flight, something he ensured wouldn't happen to him - and an elderly man is in the window seat snoring lightly. He lets his head sink against the head rest and lets his eyes drop shut. For the first time in over a week he feels the lack of sleep and food catch up to him and realises how exhausted he feels. It's as though every ounce of energy has been zapped from his body.

As he drifts off to sleep, the image of Katherine's face floats in his mind and as he sinks deeper into unconsciousness he dreams of her. He sees her petite dark figure ahead, mass of curls hanging down her back and before she's even turned around he knows it's her, can feel it in the pit of his stomach. Elation and relief swells within him as he starts to run towards her, but no matter how hard he fights to get his legs moving, he barely moves and her shadow grows further away. She peers at him from over her shoulder, her dark chocolate eyes are unmistakable and set Damon's heart racing.

"Katherine!" he yells at the top of his lungs, but no sound leaves his mouth. He tries again, this time screaming but still silence fills the empty space around him.

An alien laugh comes from her. It's not her usual light, cracked infectious giggle that brings Damon happiness even on his darkest of days. This one is menacing and cold, and it makes Damon feel afraid. He fights harder against his body to get to her, but his movements are paralysed by some invisible force.

"You're a fool, Damon Salvatore. A damn fool. I seduced you and used you to get what I wanted, but you couldn't accept that could you?" her voice, like her laugh, is unfamiliar and hard. Damon doesn't like it.

She turns around to face him and glides across the path towards him. "You refused to let go of this childish notion of true love and destiny, like this is some children's fairy tale. And now all this destruction and death that's happened is because of you, because of your obsession with me."

Her words are like knives to his heart. "No...no..." he shakes his head in disbelief, unable to accept her words as the truth, because they echo his own deepest fears.

"You dedicated your life to protecting your little brother and upholding the law, saving innocent people and you threw it all away for me." She cackles. "I shouldn't laugh, it's really more sad than funny."

Katherine is right in front of him now, but he cannot bear to look at her and keeps his eyes firmly shut, willing her away.

"You're not Katherine, you're not Katherine, you're not Katherine," he recites over and over.

"Oh, but I am. I'm the true Katherine, not the Katherine you've created in your mind to console yourself."

She continues talking, listing Damon's every insecurity and fear, taunting him and pushing him further to the edge.

"It's all your fault, don't you see? Stefan will be next. A bullet between his eyes, lying in the floor in a pool of his own blood, his entire life, that bright future, gone in an instant because of your selfish preoccupation with me."

"NO!" Damon screams as he launches himself on top of Katherine at full speed. Before his mind has reconnected to his body, his fists are pounding into her face over and over until her face is a mangled mess of blood. But when he looks down the face that's beneath him does not match the ugly voice of the woman that was just speaking to him, it's Katherine's. It's his Katherine. He falls back off her onto the floor, trembling, his fists cracked and bloody, unable to believe what he has just done.

In one swift motion Katherine is back on her feet as though no harm has been done and once again she's laughing that merciless, evil laugh. "And this is who you are, Damon. You're poison and you will always destroy everything you touch."

Damon is suddenly pulled from the horror, by someone shaking him. When he opens his eyes to see Elena's face, he's momentarily disorientated and he leaps in his seat, as he momentarily believes he's looking upon Katherine.

"Sorry to wake you," Elena apologises.

Damon, still slightly disorientated and trying to wipe the nightmare from his memory replies, "That's okay."

"Do you mind if I sit?" She gestures to the empty seat next to him.

"Of course not." Damon turns his head around to check on Stefan and sees that he's fast asleep. "Is everything okay?"

Elena nods. "I just wanted to talk to you whilst I had the chance."

He didn't like the sound of that.

"After everything you said earlier I wanted to clear the air. I don't want to have this hostility between us anymore. It's not good for me and it's not good for Stefan. I can't imagine it's good for you either."

That was an understatement. "No, I guess not."

"I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you."

Damon holds up his hand. "Really, it's okay. I understand why you're angry and blame me. With what you've been through-"

"That's not an excuse. I hate the way I've been behaving since my parents-" she swallows back the lump in her throat. "This isn't me. It isn't who I am."

Damon nods sympathetically.

"I know that what happened isn't your fault. If anything it's my fault."

"How do you figure that?"

"Because it's my past that came back around."

"But that's out of your control."

"Yeah." She sighs heavily. "Anyway, none of that matters. I just have to accept that this is the way my life is now. I'll never be able to get closure or move forward until this thing is over, but I can at least try to start making amends, right?"

"I already told you, you have nothing to make amends for."

"You saved my life. Stefan's too. I haven't even thanked you for that."

"Don't. Please. Don't thank me until all of this is over and we're all back home safe and sound."

"Do you still believe that'll happen?"

It's one question that has plagued Damon non-stop since Elena's parents died and the one question he doesn't have an answer for. "I'm going to do all I can to make that happen."

Elena bows her head. "Stefan has so much faith in you, you know? He keeps telling me that you're doing what's best for all of us, but I didn't believe it before, but I do now. When you said what you said earlier about Stefan and Katherine, it made me realise that I was wrong. I thought you cared about finding Katherine more than anything and that you didn't care who got hurt in the process, but it's Stefan. Stefan is the most important person in the world to you."

Damon inhales deeply. "He's my brother."

Elena nods. There's a look of understanding and sincere empathy in her eyes that Damon has never seen before, at least not when she's looking at him.

"How we've met and all of this has unfolded is hardly the way I expected I'd first meet you."

"Tell me about it." They share a little titter.

"But regardless of what's happened or how messed up all of this is, I want us to get on. You care about Stefan, so do I and that's enough for me to put everything behind us and start afresh. If that's what you want."

Damon nods enthusiastically. "Of course it's what I want. I know how much my brother cares about you and that means something to me."

"I just have one thing to ask."

"Name it."

"Katherine..."

Damon's heart stops in his chest at hearing her name.

"Whatever happens I don't want anything to do with her." The soft expression upon Elena's face is replaced with one of disdain and anger. He desperately wants to ask why she harbours so much hate for her sister she's never met, but knows he needs to tread carefully. He can't risk sabotaging the progress they've made and the bridges Elena has started to build between them. "I know I'm involved in this, but the second you have the information you need to bring down the men that killed my parents, I'm moving on with my life."

Damon can't help but say, "But she's your sister." He regrets saying it the moment it's left his mouth. A look of fury comes across Elena's face the likes of which he has never seen before.

"I don't care if she's my sister," she spits. "I don't want to know anything more about her than I already know. I had a family and she's not it."

Damon can sense that whilst she may have stopped blaming him for her parents death she certainly hasn't stopped blaming Katherine. He's unsure whether what he says next is for Elena's benefit or in Katherine's defence, it's probably both.

"I understand why you're angry and why you wouldn't want to meet her, but whether you like it or not she's your flesh and blood, that has to mean something to you."

"Why would it? She's a stranger to me, but it shouldn't surprise me that you're defending her again."

"This isn't me defending, Katherine. Look, whatever you do is your choice and I respect that, all I'm saying is that whatever happened to you two when you were born, was out of her control as much as it was out of yours. Maybe that's one thing you have in common at least."

Damon can see Elena considering his words for a moment, and so decides to leave it at that.

"So is that fresh start still on offer?" Damon asks with a smile.

Elena gives him a reluctant smile, then extends her hand out to him.

"Hi, I'm Elena. Nice to meet you."

"Damon. Pleasure to meet you too."

Damon has always thought the expression life is a roller coaster is cheesy as hell, but this last week has proven that to be true. Just when he thinks he's hit rock bottom, there seems to be a beaming light at the end of the tunnel. Elena's promise for a fresh start feels like a sign of better things to come and Damon clings to the wave of optimism and hope that washes over him whilst it lasts.

By the time the flight lands, Damon, Stefan, Elena and Rebekah are ravenous and pile into the nearest Burger King. Despite the circumstances the mood amongst them is surprisingly good and as they scoff down their burgers and fries, Damon can feel that the tension has been eased since his chat with Elena earlier. When their hunger is satiated and their bellies are full Rebekah and Elena skip off to the bathroom.

"Elena said she talked to you." Stefan certainly doesn't hang about.

"Yeah."

"She said it went well."

"Yeah. I gotta admit I was surprised. I thought she hated me."

"Believe me, I did too."

They laugh.

"She did it for you. She really loves you."

"Did she tell you that?" Stefan asks.

"She didn't need to, I can see it. She knows how much it means to you for the two of us to get along."

Stefan nods. "It does. I kept asking her to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I didn't think she would."

"Well, she did. And thanks for pleading my case, brother."

"Anyone would've done the same."

Damon shakes his head. "It took guts to speak out for me given everything that's happened. I won't forget it."

For a second Damon is sure he sees Stefan blush. Despite their closeness, they never have been good at sharing their emotions, particularly when it comes to admitting how much they care for and appreciate each other.

"I just hope it's not all for nothing."

The sudden change in tone of the conversation catches Damon off-guard. "What'd you mean?"

"I mean, you and Elena making friends won't mean much if we never find a way to go home and actually get back to normalcy."

"Things won't be like this forever, you know, Stef."

"Doesn't feel like that sometimes."

"We play it by ear, take each day as it comes. We're already so much closer to reaching the end today than we were yesterday."

"I guess."

Elena and Rebekah return all smiles but Damon's optimism has been obliterated and once again he's taunted with the same what if's he's been going over and over in his head since Katherine left.

What if he never finds Katherine? What if she's hurt or dead? What if he does find her but the truth is worse than he expects it to be? What if he never gets the answers he needs? What if he, Stefan and Elena spend the rest of their lives on the run? What if they wind up in a prison cell? What if one of them gets hurt or killed? What if? What if? What if? Suddenly Damon feels he's falling into a deep abyss and this time Stefan's presence nor the thought of Katherine are enough to pull him out. He focuses on his breathing in an attempt to center himself and finds himself for the hundredth time this week praying to a god he never thought he believed in.

He considers specifically listing all of the things he desires for in his prayer, but realises there are so many things wrong in his world right now that he doesn't even know what to start with. Should he pray for the lives of his brother and Elena first? Or the life of the woman he loves? Damon is not used to feeling so powerless and it frustrates him beyond belief.

"What time's the train again?" Rebekah asks disturbing Damon's prayers.

"Um, 6.30."

Rebekah glances at her watch. "We still have 3 hours to kill."

Damon groans inwardly. His entire life has gone faster than these last 10 days. Being in a constant state of purgatory is truly exhausting.

"Is it-?" Rebekah glances around and then leans further across the table and whispers, "Is it safe for you guys to be out and about in the city?"

"I'd rather stay off the streets, keep a low profile," Damon says. Truthfully, it was making him uncomfortable just to be sitting in Burger King. New York is a big and busy city but still it's more likely for him to run into someone he knows here than anywhere else. He feels it's time to go to the cheap hotel room they booked for Stefan Elena to stay out of sight. "We'll head to the hotel soon."

They all nod in agreement. Honestly, the sooner Stefan and Elena are in the hotel and he and Rebekah are on their way to Cold Spring, the better. He just wants to know that Stefan and Elena are safe and out of harm's way and is so glad that they made the decision to not get involved in the next part.

"Before we get to Cold Spring is there anything we should know about Klaus?" Damon asks Rebekah.

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you can tell us."

She leans forward in her chair and takes a deep breath. "Well, he's, um, in spite of the fact that he's my brother, he's not very much like me. We had pretty different childhoods. Our father, Michael wasn't Nik's biological father. Our mother had an affair with Michael's best friend, and Michael, well...he took it out on Nik."

"You mean he... abused him?" Elena asks.

Rebekah hangs her head and nods. "He hated Nik because he was a constant reminder of mother's betrayal and no matter what any of us did or said he wouldn't stop. He made Niklaus's life a living hell."

"What happened to him? Michael?"

"He passed away years ago. Cancer. Klaus thought that would be the best day of his life because he'd finally be free, but he wasn't. He was a prisoner of his own mind by then. Michael's demons have never left him. Ironic really, that Michael isn't his father but in every way he is Michael's son. Everything my brother is is because of my father."

Damon knows he should feel sympathy towards Klaus, but all he can think is that nothing that happened in his past could justify his actions. Everyone has suffered in some form but it's never a justification for being an awful person. Damon has lost count of how many times he's heard criminals rationalise their crimes by reeling off stories of their sad childhood, but in his mind it is simple - it's a choice. Every human has free-will and the capacity to determine their own path. Even if recent events have made him reconsider his disbelief in faith, he still believes that.

"Did you always know he was-was-?"

"A murderer?" Rebekah interjects. "No. I've always known he has a temper and a dark side and I always knew he was involved in illegal activity. You know, gangs," she says, her voice hushed. "It was just a way of life and I didn't know any better. People coming and going from the house all hours of the day and night, my brothers disappearing for days or weeks on end, secret dealings. They just told everyone they were art dealers and it was believable enough since the house was full of it. It was easier for me to be in private school so they could come and go without having to worry about who was taking care of me. When I was old enough to properly understand what was going on and what it meant, I had to get out of there."

"Is that the only reason you left?" Stefan asks.

Rebekah hangs her head and hesitates to answer.

"Like I said, Nik...he has a lot of demons. Of all our siblings, he's always had a unique bond with me and as I explained to Damon, he was incredibly controlling. One evening he returned home unexpectedly from a trip and he found me in bed with my childhood sweetheart. He-he completely lost it, went bloody mad and grabbed him out of the bed, started beating him. By the time Niklaus had stopped he was half dead."

Elena's hand goes to her mouth.

"After that I knew I couldn't stay there. Nik would never let me be free, he would always try and hide me away and keep me from happiness. My other brother, Kol, tried to convince me that he could change but I knew different. He's never going to change."

"If that's true why did you agree to go back with him?"

"Because I knew I would never have a future if I carried on living on the streets. I needed security and I needed my family. They might not be the best people in the world, but I love them and I need them."

Damon understands. Although Stefan has a good and pure soul right down to his core, even if he had done terrible things it wouldn't change the way he feels about him. Stefan is his brother and he will always love him.

"Do you think he'll tell us the truth about Katherine?"

Rebekah shrugs. "Who knows? I know my brother better than anyone else, but he's unpredictable."

"That's comforting," Damon comments with a sarcastic laugh.

"What I do know is that we have to tread carefully. He'll be suspicious about me turning up out of the blue and even more so that I'm arriving with some strange man he's never met or even heard me mention before."

"If that's the case wouldn't it be better for you go alone?" Elena asks.

"No, I have to go with her," Damon insists.

"Why? Rebekah is his sister, he won't hurt her, but he doesn't know you and he doesn't care about you," Stefan says. "We already know what he's capable of, he could hurt you or worse."

"Stefan's right," Elena agrees.

"It's already been decided," Damon says, harshly. "Rebekah and I are going together to Cold Spring and you two are staying here where it'll be safe. Rebekah kindly agreed to make this trip with us I won't repay her by leaving her to handle this alone. I owe this to her."

"If it's safer, I can go alone, I don't mind. I can-"

"No!" Damon shouts, louder than he intended. Eyes turn to look at them and he feels a flush of embarrassment. "I'm coming. I have to do this."

Nobody argues with him this time. Damon stands from his chair and announces, "Actually, I'm just gonna step out for a few minutes to make a call."

"A call? To who?" Stefan asks with a frown.

Damon hesitates, wondering if he should tell Stefan the truth, but then decides there's no reason he shouldn't. "Caroline."

"Caroline? Why are you calling Caroline? She doesn't know about any of this, does she?"

"No, of course not. Being back in New York just reminded me that I should check in with her and let her know we're okay."

"Damon, she works for the police and we're wanted by the police, do you really think that's a smart idea?"

"She's my partner, I trust her."

Stefan shrugs. "You're the one that's been hounding us about being careful all this time, but if you wanna take that risk, that's your choice."

"It's not a risk. It's a one minute phone call to a friend to let her know I'm not dead."

Damon doesn't wait to receive another lecture from Stefan and exits the restaurant. He dials Caroline's number in from memory and clutches the old Nokia cell phone in his hand, staring down at the screen doubtfully. What if Stefan is right? What if making this phone call puts them at risk? The Katherine from his nightmare returns to him. What if she was right too? What if he really does destroy everything he touches? It's his actions that led to Elena's parents getting killed. But it's also his actions that have kept Stefan, Elena and himself alive and brought them to this place. Surely that is proof that he doesn't destroy everything he touches?

Damon hasn't spoken to Caroline in over a week and although he's certain she's probably out of her mind with worry, it's not worth compromising their safety for one phone call. Yet, the truth is Damon is not making the call to reassure Caroline that he's safe, he's doing it because if something happens to him at least one person will know that whatever is being said about him is false. And the only person he can trust with his truth is Caroline. When he presses the dial button he holds his breath, his heart pounding in his chest. He considers hanging up, but still keeps the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

Damon let's out the breath he's been holding, but cannot seem to find his voice. "Caro-Caroline."

A prolonged silence follows and then a hushed tone of disbelief. "Damon?"

"Yeah, it's me."

He hears Caroline get up from wherever she is and go into another room, and when she speaks again her voice is louder.

"Oh, my god, are you okay? Where are you? What's going on? Do you know what they're saying about you on the news? Do you know-?"

"Caroline, Caroline, just stop. I can't stay on the phone for long. I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay. For now."

"For now? What does that mean?"

"Stefan's with me, he's safe too. We have some...some...stuff to sort out."

"Stuff? What stuff? Is this what you meant when you said you had personal stuff to handle? Because let me tell you, Damon, this is crazy!" Caroline exclaims, frantically. "You need to come home. You were a witness to a double homicide. There have eyewitnesses that say they saw you, Stefan and his girlfriend outside the house and a car pull up outside and start firing shots. Why did you run? Why didn't you go straight to the police? You're a cop. You know what they'll do, you know-"

"Caroline, please. Just know that this thing that I'm in here...it's big. Bigger than you, bigger than me, bigger than all of us."

"If you come back home we can help you, whatever it is-"

"No, involving the police will only make things worse and put us all in even more danger. Trust me."

"I don't understand," Caroline's voice is quiet and shaky.

"You don't need to. All you need to understand if that I think I'm close to figuring all of this out and if I come out the other end, I'm gonna need your help. I'll need you in my corner, Care."

"Damon, I don't-"

"Take care."

"No! Damon, wait!"

"Bye, Caroline."

"Damon? No, Damon! Damon!"

Damon hangs up, Caroline's voice still shouting his name down the handset. For a moment he feels his eyes sting with tears, but he quickly manages to push the feeling aside. He's been convincing everyone else that this nightmare will end soon and life will return to normal, so why did that call feel like a final goodbye? No, it's just a safety net, that's all. He's being smart by making sure that whatever the outcome of these passing days, he has Caroline behind him. She's the only person in the force he can count on to support him and uphold his name, and that means something whether he's dead or alive.

A/N: Hey, lovelies! I'm back again. As always, sorry about the long wait for this chapter. With it being the end of semester I had a lot of last minute things to sort out. I also had my driving test (which I passed, yay!) and had to pick up my first car.

This chapter is the final chapter that forms the middle section of the story since the next chapter will bring us into the end part of the story. In this chapter I felt it was important to finally build bridges between Damon and Elena given the animosity between them and show Elena slowly starting to take those steps towards trying to accept her parents death (although she still has a long way to go in the grieving process).

In the chapters that follow there will be a lot of action, revelations and emotional moments which I'm so excited to share with you. A lot of the scenes that will be featuring in the next chapters are ones that have been in my mind since I first created this story so it'll be great to finally bring them to life and share them with you all.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave your comments, I always love to read them.