Chapter twentysix

Elena POV

I had thought a lot about what Katherine had told me, her story, and Klaus reputation over the night. I was tossing and turning thinking over everything, and by the time I forced my eyes to remain closed and go to sleep, my head was still running on over drive on all my options.

I could run, forcing myself into the same situation as Katherine had since before her life as a vampire. I could try and negotiate with him. Or I could try and defeat him.

Each option I chose... it always resulted in casualties.

I was heading down my stairs when a rap at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I pulled open the front door and saw Caroline and Damon standing on the front step.

Damon had a smirk etched into his lips and Caroline's eyes were perky and wide, meaning she either had some gushing gossip or she had a plan she thought was full proof.

"Hey can we come in?"

I nodded and opened the door wider to let them in.

I followed them to the lounge room, as Jenna rushed past. "Hey Elena. Sorry I got to run, I'm late for a meeting with my boss. You can make your own lunch, right?" Her next sentence was cut off as her eyes found Damon. "Uh, you must be Damon. I'm Jenna, Elena's aunt." Her eyes had almost popped out of her head at the sight of him in his black designer jeans and leather jacket. Jeremy had filled her in on my apparent mystery man, and her eyes screamed approval and mock jealousy.

Damon's voice was charming, slightly making me believe he was laughing on the inside, "Such a pleasure, Jenna. Elena's told me all about you."

Jenna let out a small laugh, "I'm sure none of it's true, unless she mentioned I'm a hard ass on her if she doesn't get to school in time." She raised her eyes brows and turned to me as she spoke.

I nodded. She took one last look at Damon before she said her goodbyes and headed out the door. I led Damon and Caroline into the kitchen and took a seat on the stool. Damon picked up an orange and began tossing it back and forth in between his hands. Caroline looked like she was about to burst.

"So, we according to Jeremy's research on this vampire curse, there's a way to destroy it."

Damon spoke, still maintaining the same rhythm with the orange tossing, "No spell, no doppelganger sacrifice. Ergo, you live."

I wiped my hand casually through my hair, "How do you destroy it?"

"By releasing it from the crystal." Caroline relaxed, indicating that was her genius news to tell.

I sighed, doubtful. "How do you guys even know this is going to work."

"Because we have a crafty witch on our side."

I hung my head. "You discussed it with Bonnie." It seemed everyone was in on this.

"She agreed anything she could to help us," Caroline's face turned to one of instant confusion, "Why wouldn't she? She's your best friend. Bonnie just has to find a way to release the spell from the crystal, without destroying it."

"Wow. Seems like you guys have it all figured out."

"I know. We're awesome." Damon let the smirk spread out across his face again.

"Except for one thing... I don't want you to do it." They were bending their backs over something that was inevitable.

Damon was the one to speak on his confusion, "What are you talking about, Elena? We don't have a choice."

"What about Klaus? Or haven't you factored him in yet, or what he can do?"

Caroline smiled, "Well get him right after Bonnie lifts the curse." She spoke like there was nothing to it.

How could they not grasp this? "Is that before or after he kills everyone I care about, including the two of you." I locked eyes with Damon when I said this. Surly Damon understood the dangers of Klaus' reputation, and Caroline's confidence was only fuelled by his.

Damon narrowed his eyes slightly at me, silently questioning my doubts.

"Elena if we can de-spell the crystal or whatever, we can save your life." Caroline was staring at me intently.

"I know... everyone keeps saying that." I got up and grabbed the orange out from Damon's hand. "I'm going to be late for school." I walked into the living room and grabbed my bag.

Damon was in front of me faster than I could blink. "What are you doing?"

"...I'm going to school."

"Ignorance doesn't suit you, Elena. Why are you fighting this? This plan is perfect. We've got it all figured out."

I hitched my bag higher on my shoulder, "I can see that."

I could see that they were leading each other down a path of a rescue plan that wasn't going to succeed. And they were ignoring my pleas to get them to see that nothing was going to work.

...

It felt useless sitting in the classroom taking down notes on the civil war days. The dates and events were all a blur on my page as I had copied them down. I felt as though I was rewound my life and had just finished my first day back since my parents death.

Nothing felt important anymore. Not unless it could tell me how I was going to get out of this mess.

I pulled up outside the boarding house after third period. I pushed open the door and saw Rose lying on the couch with The Scarlet Woman open in her hands.

"Damon's not here."

"Actually, I came here to talk to you."

Her eyes flicked from the pages up to my face. "If Damon won't change you, I won't."

I let out a humourless chuckle and walked towards the opposite couch. "No that's not it. I wanted your help."

Her eyes narrowed, but she closed her book and sat up. "With what?"

"I know you had contacts to get in touch with Elijah. Every vampire seems to have one."

"Slater?"

"I want you to take me to him. He must have information about Klaus if he knows Elijah."

"If Damon hasn't told you, he's missing."

"You know where to find him, though." The look on her face confirmed that she would.

"When I say missing, Elena, I mean the place where he worked everyday was blown up. People who have information on the Originals or have confirmed contacts with them directly, tend to have a short existence."

"There's more to learn. We just have to find a way to learn it."

She shook her head then turned on me, "Why are you coming to me with this?"

"You're in love with Damon." The look on her face was one of poorly hidden surprise. I knew this the first moment I met her. She'd had a past with Damon, which was easy to see. "I know as soon as you saw me you saw the same opportunity everyone else wanted." She was still as a statue. "You wanted to trade me to Klaus for your freedom. One word from me to Damon, and would kill you."

"Or maybe it's because, you know that he wouldn't want you doing this?" I noticed she didn't deny anything I had just said.

I looked down and slightly shook my head, not really knowing how to reply, "We're just having a disagreement, okay? They're all will to risk everyone that I love and I'm not."

She gave me a half smile. "They're just trying to protect you."

"And you've just proven that you couldn't care if I'm protected or not... So, we're back to you taking me to Slater."

She sighed in defeat and took a step towards me, "What do you hope to achieve from this?"

I dodged her question with one of my own, "... how would you like to be able to walk during the day?"

Her face kept its composure. "I've been a slave to the shadows for 500 years, what do you think?"

"I think I know a witch whose willing to do whatever takes to help. If you're willing to make a deal..."

...

Rose's car was tinted almost to the point where I could hardly see where we were going. She had a slightly anxious look about her as she kept her thoughts to herself. It wasn't hard to guess her inner turmoil of going behind Damon's back, and how the sunlight would feel on her bare skin.

We pulled up outside a set of apartment blocks located in the centre part of the town in Richmond. I followed Rose up to the top floor where there was two large double doors that led to a loft. Rose rapped her knuckled against the doors.

"Slater?" She waited a short moment before she turned towards me. "Sorry, doesn't look like he's home.

"No," I shook my head at her, "We didn't come all the way out here for nothing."

She sighed, then through open the double doors. A heavy chain dropped to the floor from the door handles and she stepped inside. "Slater? It's Rose."

There was no sound in response.

Rose threw her hand out to the side indicating for me to stay behind her and out of any waiting danger. The place where he worked was blown up... echoed through my mind causing a slight shiver to run down my spine.

I let my eyes travel over the inside of the loft. There were piles upon piles of books scattered around the place and large sofas and shelves overflowing with books and other odd objects. I saw Rose staring at something obscured by the side wall.

"I don't think he's going to be much help."

Curiosity got the best of me and led my body towards where she was looking. I rounded the corner and saw a man in his early twenties, slightly mummified, with a wooden stake sticking out from his chest. "Looks like whoever blew up his work, killed him for his information."

"Yeah, probably to stop him from helping people like us. He was a vampire data base. Knowing too much information ended up biting him in the ass." Rose bent down and dragged him by his jacket towards the pantry cupboard. Ahead of me was a large set of sophistacted looking computers with papers scattered around it.

I walked over to it and moved the mouse to open the screen. "It's password protected."

Rose walked over to the curtain obscuring the entire wall behind the computers. She threw them open, exposing the entire room to sunlight.

"What are you doing?" Why wasn't she burning to ashes?

"Temped glass. UV rays can't penetrate." She stood at the window and looked down at the streets below. "I used to come here just to watch the day. All those people down there... they have no idea how lost they'd be without the light."

I wasn't going to touch that with a ten ft pole. But when I looked down at the computers I saw a photo frame with a picture of Slater and Rose smiling excitedly back. They had clearly been close, and for her to see him like that on the floor... "I'm sorry about Slater."

Her eyes glazed over for a moment before she cleared her throat and turned back towards me. "Any luck?"

"I can't get in without the password."

"Then this is pointless, let's just go."

A crash in one of the rooms had me spin around in a blur. My heart rate sped up to one of a race horse in fear of the killer still being here.

Rose looked at me before heading towards the room, "Stay here."

In blinding speeds she threw open a set of doors. I saw her face perplex for a moment before she spoke, "Grace?"

The sound of blubbering tears sounded from the room before a tall woman with dark curly hair and black shredded clothing threw her arms around rose.

I took a step back and put two and two together; Slater had clearly been her boyfriend.

Rose pulled her over to a couch and spoke quietly for a few minutes. I walked around the house, looking for anything else besides the computer, which could give me information regarding Klaus or Elijah.

Rose walked up to me, "She found him a few minutes before we did."

I looked over at Grace hunched over sobbing on the lounge, "How is she?"

"Overreacting. Big time." She raised both her eyebrows.

How could she be so insensitive? "Her boyfriend just died. There's no such thing as overreacting." I didn't dare imagine myself in Grace's situation had it been Damon on the floor.

"Those tears aren't for him. She didn't care about Slater." Rose looked at my incredulous look. "She was only dating him long enough to see if he'd turn her."

Even though I hadn't known Slater, I felt the sudden urge to punch Grace, or at least throttle her. I calmed myself and walked over to where she was, sitting next to her on the couch.

Her make-up was thick with dark eye shadow and deep red lipstick. She eyed me closely, "You look really familiar. Did you know Slater?"

"Not personally no. I just knew that he kept detailed records of all his vampire contacts, and I was wondering if you could point me to Klaus."

She gave me a half smile, "Doubtful, Klaus doesn't want to be pointed out."

"Do you know Slater's computer password?"

She turned an unpleasant look towards me, "Are you seriously asking me that right now? I just saw my boyfriend with a stake through his heart."

I could see what Rose had meant. The way she spoke, was merely a pretence of the pain she should have been feeling over her boyfriend's death. "I understand that. Do you know his password?"

She gave me a dirty look and turned her head away, "Who do you think you are?"

I looked at Rose who had a similar smirk to her face that Damon held. I inched closer to Grace, "What if I could convince Rose to turn you?"

Grace's eyes flashed to mine, confirming exactly what Rose had meant. She'd only wanted his blood. I saw Rose over her shoulder with her brows nitted closely together over her bludging eyes; she definitely was not agreeing to that.

"Will you show us his files then?"

Grace had a small smile on her slightly open mouth. She was up and at the computer in a speed close to a vampires. I looked over at Rose before we both made our way over to where she was.

Her fingers were a blur over the keyboard, "Someone's been here, the hard drives been completely wiped out."

Rose folded her arms across her chest. "Yeah, probably whoever killed him."

"Lucky for you, Slater was paranoid. Everything's backed up on our remote server."

Rose turned towards me with piercing eyes, and whispered low enough for only my ears to hear, "You know she's going nowhere near my blood, right?"

"I know. She doesn't." Grace didn't deserve for me to keep my word.

We walked over and watched Grace move about the computers. "Twilight; God was Slater obvious, or what?"

I looked at all the hundreds of files she'd just clicked into. "These are all leads to vampires?"

"Slater was obsessed... Almost as much as me."

"What about that one, Julian Debovich." Rose eyed the screen, "They've exchanged dozens of emails about Elijah."

"I could call him?"

I handed Grace the portable phone, "Tell him we're trying to send a message to Klaus... Tell him the doppelganger's alive and she's ready to surrender."

"What?"

Grace swivelled to face me in her chair, "Oh. My. God. I knew I recognised you."

"Get him the message please."

I turned away from them both, not wanting to hear any protest from Rose. I'd heard them a thousand times before.

I reached the kitchen but was intercepted by Rose. "What are you doing?" Her voice turned to a whisper, "If Klaus knows you're alive, he'll find you and kill you."

I didn't say anything.

Her face turned to horrified understanding, "Which is exactly what you wanted all along."

I stared straight back at her. "It's either me or my family."

"So this was all just some suicide mission. So you could sacrifice yourself to save everyone else."

Grace's high heels caught my attention as she stepped into the kitchen, "Julian is on his way, and he really wants to meet you."

I looked at Rose's defeated face and Grace's joyful shock. Both of them did not understand... I had no other choice. I was not going to let anyone stop me from doing this. I was not going to let anyone lose their life over mine.

I was not going to let Damon sacrifice his life for mine.

I could not let Klaus get them.

I wouldn't.

...

An hour of Rose's pestering and failed attempts to reason with me I headed over to grab a drink. There was nothing anyone could say that would make me change my mind. I walked out of the kitchen with the glass to my lips and saw Grace, her mouth hanging open, staring over my shoulder at something. I turned around to follow her direction of sight. I gasped in shock and dropped my water, smashing glass all over the floor.

Damon was standing there with eyes of burning fury, looking directly into my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" I turned at the sound of Rose's footsteps, "You called him?"

"I'm sorry, Elena."

"You said you understood." My eyes screamed with betrayal.

"She lied."

I turned back to Damon only to meet the same pools of fury staring back at me.

"Damon Salvatore." Grace's sounded as though she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Get rid of her." Damon briefly looked at Grace with annoyed eyes.

"No. Way." I watched as Rose pulled a stunned Grace by her arm and drag her into the kitchen. I turned back to Damon.

"Come on. We're leaving."

"No."

"I said we're leaving."

"I'm not going with you." I reflected his hard eyes back at him.

"You do not get to make decisions anymore." He took a step towards me.

"When have I ever made a decision? You all do that for me. Now this... this is my decision." I rooted myself to the floor. My eyes were solid as cement as I went up against his words.

"Who's going to save your life while you're out making decisions?"

"You're not listening to me, Damon. I do not want to be saved... Not if it means that Klaus is going to kill every single person that I love."

I watched as the rage inside him blazed in his eyes. "Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself." His voice was filled entirely with venom.

I stood there with absolute determination.

He grabbed my arm.

"No."

I struggled, and when all else failed I lifted my fist up, swinging it towards his face. I would rather hurt him than watch him die. He caught my fist mid swing, restraining me.

He slowly leaned over me, overpowering me and intimidating me. His breath fanned my face as he spoke, his voice an icy whisper, "Don't... ever... do that again."

The double doors banged open causing Damon to drop my fist and turn around, facing the three vampires who'd just stepped in.

"We're here to meet the doppelganger."

I stepped out from behind Damon, out into the open. "Thank you for coming-

Damon grabbed my arm and spoke in the same whisper as before, "I will break your arm." He turned his attention back to the vampires, his tone calm, "There's nothing here for you."

The vampire in the middle gasped in pain and fell forward.

Elijah stood behind him.

I gasped in shock, and felt Damon tense beside me. Rose, with lightning bolt speed, flashed out the doubles doors. How was he alive?

"I killed you. You were dead."

"For centuries now." Elijah flashed to where the two vampires were facing him with angry looks on their faces. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

He gave them a pleasant smile. "I'm Elijah."

Both vampires averted their eyes out of respect and cowered into themselves. One spoke with a shaky voice, "We were going to bring her to you. For Klaus." He looked over at me, "She's the doppelganger. I don't know how she exists, but she does. Klaus would want to see her."

Elijah locked eyes with mine, but remained speaking to the vampire, "Does anyone else know you're here?"

"No."

He turned his eyes back on them, the pleasant smile still in place, "Well, you have been incredibly helpful."

With vampire speeds, his hands shot out into the chests of each of the vampires, and pulled out their hearts. The vampires mummified before they hit the ground, and Elijah let the bleeding hearts roll off the tips of his fingers and cause a defined 'splat' on the floor.

Damon pushed me behind him and took a step forward, tensing for a fight.

Elijah smiled briefly at me before vanishing out the room.

Damon looked over his shoulder at me, my expression reflecting his. However I felt a horrible pit in my stomach, worse than I felt about turning myself over, about not knowing why our lives were spared.

...

Damon past my house without slowing, and continued in the direction of the boarding house. I sagged my shoulders back into the seat and kept my eyes focused on outside the windows, trying to avoid any fighting until I was safely out of the car and on my two feet. Neither one of us had said a word to one another since before Elijah showed up unexpectantly; dashing our belief that Damon had killed him. I was out of the car before Damon cut the engine, and headed up the steps towards the front door. I didn't bother to wait for him as I swung open the door and headed inside.

As I headed up the stairs I called over my shoulder to him, knowing he could hear my angry tone. "I assume since you didn't drop me home, that I'm staying here. I take one of the guest rooms. Thank you for the ride back."

"Your ride ditched you; I didn't want to leave you stranded." His uninterested tone mimicked mine.

I felt the need to defend Rose, it wasn't her Damon should be blaming. "She was just scared. She didn't mean to run." I lost the motivation to speak in petty tones.

"Yes she did, she's been running for 500 years."

"I can't believe Elijah's still alive. Why do you think he killed those vampires, and just... let us go?"

"If I had a dollar for every time an evil vampire has surprised me..."

I nodded and turned towards the bedroom door.

My hand was on the handle a moment before Damon grabbed my arm, stopping me. "What you did today was incredibly stupid."

"Actually, the only thing that was stupid was that I got caught." I roughly pulled my arm out from his grip. I turned to face him fully, "I don't question why you or Bonnie and everyone else tries so hard to save me... you shouldn't question why I would try to save all over you."

"And a kamikaze mission is your best option?"

"Rather I die than you."

His tone turned cold as he spoke, "Get some sleep. There's been enough doom, gloom, and life evaluating for one day."

He stepped backwards and nodded towards the guest room door.

I felt my own fury rise. "Go ahead Damon, shut yourself off. It's easier that way isn't it? Good, because then you won't have to waste your time saving a life that doesn't want to be saved, and you won't have to care about it."

Damon slammed me back against the wall, his hands pinning my arms next to my head, with his eyes spitting fury. "Don't you dare think for one second that handing yourself over to have your blood spilt over some sacrificial rock is a way of saving anyone. Lifting the spell is the right call."

"The right call? How is any of this the right call?" I began trying to throw him off me, trying to punch and shake his hold. "Damon let go of me. Let go of me!" My struggles were futile against him. I stopped struggling, "Please!"

I felt the tears fall down my face as I looked at the floor between us, my arms sagging in defeat.

"You done?"

I didn't answer, nor did I look at him.

His hands loosened their hold on my arms and slowly pulled away, keeping the distance between us as my arms fell down beside me.

I looked up at him through my tears, "Why is it so hard for you to understand? I can't let him do what he did to Katherine. I won't run for 500 years and get you killed. I ca... I can't lose you Damon." The tears were thick as they ran over old tear tracks down my cheeks. "I won't."

I fisted my hands into his shirt, "So please. Please... Please just, let me do this."

His hands tilted my head until I was looking directly into his eyes.

"No." His eyes searched mine, "Because you are not allowed to give up on us."

Damon crushed his lips to mine and pressed me back into the wall. I felt more tears run down my face as I wrapped arm around him, pulling him tighter to me.

Without breaking the kiss he backed me into the room, his lips ravenous against mine. My hands moved of their own will, travelling down his shirt and unbuttoning as they went. His hands slid under my top and eased it up over my head, breaking the kiss for only a moment. We were both trying to get at one another, any space was painful. Damon guided me backwards until my legs hit the bed, and then gently lowered us down onto it.

His hands travelled along my bare skin, until they reached my jeans. With hand skill I never thought possible, he hand my jeans off in a single movement. He rolled our bodies until my back left the pillows and my legs were straddling him, his kiss almost blistering my lips.

I had never felt such need for someone before. It was like fighting a strong current if I so much as had any form of space from him. He pulled himself up until I was sitting on his lap with my ankles locked around his back.

He broke the kiss and I could feel how hard we were both breathing. I rested my forehead against his and planted a slow gentle kiss against his swollen lips. As I pulled back his eyes locked on mine. They were completely dazzling. So deep I believed they were the window to his sole.

His lips went to speak but I pressed my finger against them to stop him. A slow smile spread across his lips, causing my own to mimic, before I pressed my lips back to his and fell with him into the pillows.

...

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