Kicking the bedroom door open, Damon's vision blurred into an infuriated red haze at the sight of Elena in Klaus's arms. Before either Klaus or Elena could react Damon was yanking Klaus away from her and tossing him across the room. The entire upstairs shook as Klaus crashed through the bookcase, sending splinters of wood flying through the air.
"I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Damon yelled as he flew at Klaus, who was pulling himself up from the floor.
Katherine rushed in front of him. "Damon! Stop! He'll kill you! Damon!"
Damon responded by shoving her to the floor. Klaus grinned as he blocked Damon's fist that was meant for his face. Damon jerked his head to the side as Klaus retaliated with his own punch. Strong arms went around his waist, trying to pull him away from Klaus, but Damon pushed forward, hell bent on killing the hybrid in front of him for daring to put his hands on Elena.
"Stop! Damon!" Stefan's voice roared in Damon's ear as he managed to get his hands around Klaus's forearms.
Damon fully intended to rip the bastard's arms from his body, but Klaus had managed to grip Damon's forearms as well. They stood, locked in a power struggle, staring and growling at each other. For once it appeared that they were evenly matched.
Because Stefan was still trying to drag Damon away, Damon kicked at his brother. "Let me go Stefan!" he snarled. "I'm going to kill this bastard right here, right now!"
"Stop it!" Elena stepped up beside the struggling duo. She looked at Stefan. "Let him go." She stared at him for a few seconds before he complied. "Now, you two." She looked at Damon and Klaus. "Stop this right now. Please."
Damon was not going to back down, and he could tell by the look in Klaus's eyes that he wasn't either. And then Elena ducked under their linked arms to pop up between them, facing Damon.
"Elena, get out of the way." Damon scowled at her. What was she doing? Trying to get herself killed?
"No." She looked into Damon's eyes; his anger instantly dropped a notch. "Please stop. I'm begging you." She wrapped her arms around him and his resolve melted.
He released his hold on Klaus to wrap his arms around Elena. Scooping her up so her feet were lifted from the floor, he turned so that his body shielded hers from Klaus. As long as she was in his arms all was right in the world. She kissed his mouth as he tried to regain control of his breathing.
"What the hell were you thinking?" He whispered against her lips.
"That I didn't want you to be killed right in front of me." She smiled.
At the sound of Klaus's chuckle, Damon spun around to face him. Klaus straightened his shirt and brushed off bits of wood.
"Well, that was enlightening." Klaus winked. "Elena, my dear, I'm going to have to get back to you about our deal at a later date."
Damon's stomach flipped as the crowd that had poured into the room gasped. His eyes narrowed on Elena. "What deal?"
"It appears you two have much to discuss. We'll give you some time to do that." Klaus nodded at Stefan and Katherine. With a whoosh the three of them disappeared out the bedroom window.
Ignoring their friends who were now clustered just inside the doorway, Damon stared at Elena. The quiver of her lower lip told him that he was really going to hate what she was about to tell him.
"What deal, Elena?" he asked quietly. When she stared at him, her eyes filling with tears, he leaned over her so that their noses were almost touching. His stomach twisted into a series of knots as he tried to prepare himself for whatever Elena was about to say. Because if she was starting to cry this soon it was going to be really bad. He just hoped it wasn't going to push him over the edge. "What. Deal."
"He w-wants to start his own h-hybrid race." Tears spilled from her eyes. "And he wants to start with m-me."
Gasps and exclamations erupted from the doorway. Damon silenced them with a glaring look. The urge to kill reared its ugly head inside him, snapping at his thin threads of self control. "So let me get this straight. You agreed to have sex. With Klaus. To let him try to impregnate you?"
Her nod set his blood boiling. Jerking upright, he fought for control of his anger that was quickly spiraling out of control. He turned his back to her and walked over to his side table and poured himself a drink. As he brought the glass to his lips, he realized his hand was shaking.
And now he knew why Elena had been so anxious when Katherine had called. Katherine had known that Elena had spoken with Klaus. And neither one of them had told him.
"Why?" He croaked, although he already knew the answer.
"So he would leave you alone."
Her words sent a tornado of emotions raging through him. Clamping down on them, he poured himself more bourbon and downed in it one gulp. Then he promptly chucked the glass against the wall.
As the glass shattered into a thousand little pieces, Elena grimaced. She had known that Damon would react this way. But she hadn't had a choice. She'd promised Klaus that she would do anything to keep Damon safe. Surely Damon had to understand that. He would have done the same thing if he'd been in her place.
And now, as she watched him fight for control, her stomach trembled with fear. What if he didn't understand? What if he couldn't forgive her?
"Damon," she said hoarsely.
He didn't turn to face her. Instead, he kept his back to her as he struggled for control. Elena watched as his shoulders heaved, his body trembled with barely controlled anger. Oh God. What had she done?
"Damon, please. Say something. Anything."
As she waited for him to say something, anything, to ease her fears, she held her breath. What if she'd finally gone too far? What if he couldn't forgive her for this? What if he didn't want anything to do with her any more?
As the minutes ticked by, Elena's stomach churned. A rush of heat bloomed within her; her skin flushed. Her head spun. She found herself scrambling to the bathroom, where her stomach heaved violently. As she rested her head against the cool porcelain of the seat, tears burned behind her eyelids as she struggled to come to terms with the fact that she might have just destroyed the most precious thing in her life.
The thought of Damon finally giving up on her, on them, terrified her. She had committed the ultimate betrayal. She had taken his trust, not easily given to begin with, and demolished it in a matter of minutes. What was wrong with her? She should have known better.
"Elena?" Bonnie knelt beside her. She reached out to comfort her by rubbing her back. But as soon as her hand came into contact with Elena's back, Bonnie inhaled sharply. "Oh dear."
"What?" Elena turned to look at her best friend. "What is it Bonnie? What is wrong with me?" Because deep down, Elena could tell that her friend knew why she was sick. She could see the shock and worry in her friend's eyes.
Bonnie shook her head. "Elena, what were you thinking?"
"Bonnie I have to do whatever it takes to save him. You of all people should understand that."
