09:15 – Salvatore House - Lounge
I had spent the night at the Salvatore house getting bullet fragments picked out of my leg by Stefan; the shotgun had embedded a shower of particles and as I was healing over them repeatedly, it was hard to get them out; it hurt like a bitch.
"How's the leg?" Elena asked as she settled down on the edge of the coffee table, in front of me. I winced at her casual approach, that coffee table was probably older than both the brothers combined.
I nodded and said, "Yeah, stings a little, but it's nearly there."
"You should take it easy." Elena said, "Maybe using your powers drains you or something?"
"Maybe. I think it's just the bullet bits coursing around and my body is flipping out, it's trying to heal and getting immediately hurt again, you know? It was just that pain, everything else was normal, whatever normal is." I suggested with a shrug, and then noticed our conversation wasn't over.
She was lingering. I wedged my bookmark inside my book and placed it down on my lap.
Elena bit her cheek and then said, "I have a massive favour to ask you."
"Shoot." I said.
"Stefan and I…we need some time away, just the two of us, away from all of the death and the werewolf battles and the creepy sacrifices." Elena explained, "And I had this whole romantic weekend planned for us at the lake house, and then I heard from Jeremy that you two have an…excursion planned there."
"Right." I uttered.
"So…I was hoping to have it to ourselves, and you're not really in a super mobile situation right now." Elena noted with wide eyes.
"It was semi-important." I said, "But I guess it can wait until next weekend."
"Okay, great! Thank you so much for this. I owe you. And don't worry about Jeremy. You two have been getting on like when you were little kids again, he's not gonna slump back to his emo days in one week, he's not going anywhere." Elena said and noted, "Oh and Jenna still thinks you're at Natalie's by the way, I laid that on extra thick."
"Thank you." I muttered as she bounced out of the door.
Okay, so Jeremy had told her we were going wake-boarding this weekend. I laughed to myself, quietly grateful for my brother's unnecessary decision to lie for me.
18:50
"Today was a bust." Damon sulked and flopped down into his chair by the fire.
"Yeah." Alaric rasped and asked, "How's the throat?"
"Sore." Damon sulked.
"What happened? You poke the bear again?" I sneered as Alaric plonked myself down on the sofa next to me.
"Are you not healed yet?" Damon scowled at me, as though he hadn't noticed I was still here until just that second, "This isn't a hotel."
"I'm scouring your library for anything remotely useful." I informed him and gestured around to the little book fort I'd created.
"You're such a Velma." Damon noted and flopped his head back in his chair.
"Yeah, cartoon references aren't becoming on a man of your age." I scowled back.
"Kids, back to Elijah." Alaric interrupted our spat, "The scary dude, with nice hair."
"He's going to be hard to kill." Damon groaned.
"Yeah." Alaric agreed, "I'd think twice before I'd trust that dagger and some ashes to do the job. You're gonna need more info."
"I'm out of sources." Damon groaned.
"Oh, god, I've gotta go pick up Jenna." Alaric noted the time and rose to leave, "Can you do me a favour? Don't kill your news reporter girlfriend."
"If I did, who would report her death?" Damon chuckled and glanced over at me to receive his unamused glare.
"Just don't do it, alright." Ric implored, "She's friends with Jenna and it's bad enough that I'm lying to her about everything else. I hate the lies."
"Yeah, yeah." Damon huffed out.
"Don't worry I'll uh, show myself out." Ric sighed at Damon's floppy composure.
"Good luck." Damon sang.
"You're such an ass." I muttered.
"You say that like its news." Damon sneered, "Look at him scoring brownie points with the niece, I hate the lies!"
"Do you mind if I take some of these tomes with me?" I asked, and rose from the sofa, "Not to say I can't stand your company, or anything."
"Shut up." Damon scorned and sat upright in his chair.
A loud thumping crash clattered from the hallway. It sounded as though Ric had slammed against a wall…with a little additional force to plain old gravity.
"Hide." Damon scorned at me and gestured away.
I glanced down from the balcony upon the scene. Ric was dead on the ground; a stake wedged into his heart. Damon was groaning on the floor, struggling against whatever toxin had been stabbed into his body.
"Whew! Damn you're strong! It took the whole syringe." The assailant remarked and turned to his friends as they sauntered in through the front door, "Grab that one. He's dead."
They kept on coming; I recognised a few of them from last night's flame-thrower showdown. Shit.
"Hi, Damon." Jules greeted him with a smirk, swinging a baseball bat over her shoulder, "Nice to see you again."
The wolves snatched up Damon and dragged him back through to the lounge. One of them was carrying some elaborate metal collar and chains. How does the Elijah beacon work? Do I send up a batman logo and he will come running? Does he know we're in mortal danger by a promise spell or something? I furiously text Stefan; he had his own problems to deal with?! WHAT. Okay, the last time an entire pack of werewolves were against us, I had some back up, I had an air of confidence around me, but this solo battle was a little too much to ask. I crept through to the lounge and peeked through the upper balcony area.
"So, I hear you have the moonstone." Jules began.
"Oh, if you only knew the irony of this moment right now. Let me tell you how this is gonna go. You're gonna torture me, I don't talk, someone loses a heart." Damon sang from his elaborate torture rig, "Last time, it was your boy Mason."
"This time, it will be you." Jules smirked and gestured to her cronies to pull the chain.
Damon wailed out in pain, and I resolved; screw it, I have to try something! I stepped forward but was slammed against the wooden-panelling of the wall. Elijah had me pinned to the wall with a hand over my mouth; I winced out in agony, his forearm was like a solid stone vice. He removed his hand and placed one finger in front of his lips.
"He's the hardest one to keep alive, but you're a close second." Elijah noted, "Stay here. I'd like a word when I'm through."
I did just that. I didn't want to help Damon anymore, a notion which wasn't out with the realms of possibility, it's very easy to not want to help Damon…but this was instant. The interests of Elijah trumped them; the rest didn't matter. Was I compelled? I didn't think I could be. Damon couldn't compel me. Elijah hadn't compelled me not to attack him at that derelict mansion…unless he had? And compelled me to forget it? No, he didn't know Elena existed at that point. Ignatius said I couldn't break what I created. I didn't want to break him, I wasn't stupid. I wanted to help Damon. I couldn't take one more step forward, but I could hear the exchange downstairs.
"You know what the great thing about Buckshot is?" Jules asked Damon, "It scatters through the body, maximum damage. Where's the moonstone?"
"Get over it, honey." Damon chuckled, "You're never gonna get it."
"You looking for this?" Elijah asked coolly. I heard him place the moonstone down on the table, and request, "Go ahead. Take it."
One wolf decided that was a reasonable course of action and from the sounds of the gasps, ended up losing his heart; Elijah's signature move. Two more wolves attempted to leave and…I counted the thuds, they had met the same fate.
"What about you, sweetheart, hmm?" Elijah asked the last snivelling wolf, "You want to take a shot? No? Yes? No? Where's the girl?"
I assumed he meant Jules.
"I don't know." Damon rasped out.
"It doesn't really matter." Elijah noted and slammed his fist into the wolf with a bone-curling crack. He ripped the chains away from Damon and said, "So, you realise this is the third time I've saved your life now?"
"What are you?" Elijah asked when he reappeared to exactly where he had left me, "A wiccan? What angle are you attempting? A vampire of my first line would account for it but you're alive, I can smell the blood from here, it's overpoweringly pungent."
"Um. Thanks? Did you compel me?" I asked him, finally feeling control seeping back into my limbs. I turned to face him square on.
"I asked you, several questions, first." Elijah noted, and his brow crinkled at my expression. He divulged, "I have yet to compel you, the cooperation was just good sense."
"What do you mean by angle? I don't have an angle."
"I feel somewhat of a connection, a duty to protect which outweighs the simple promise I made to your sister, and it is annoying." Elijah noted, coolly, "You called me here."
I stared back blankly at the man and squinted in confusion; I what now?
"A riddle for another time." Elijah declared and turned to leave.
"Wait." I said, foolishly, "That's it? You're supposed to be the big bad. I don't answer your question and you just take it?"
"Would you prefer I tore it from you?" Elijah said, and his brow raised at my widened eyes as I realised what I'd just said, "I thought not. You answered my question. I hear your heart and I don't hear the rhythm of a liar. The connection is not your conscious doing."
