Everything had happened in a matter of seconds, but Elena felt like things had been going in slow motion. One second Stefan was nearly dead and then she saw Brody advancing towards her. She closed her eyes as she screamed and in an instant Damon was there between the wolf and her. Then she looked into the tomb and Ric had saved Stefan! He was coughing and gasping for air but he was alive!
She sat up more trembling and her chest heaving with sobs. She was clinging to Damon, this time her nails drawing blood on his arms. She just stayed there trying to catch her breath between sobs, her head buried against his chest.
"You are okay." Damon whispered to her. She looked up at him. "I'm here. Stefan's okay. The wolf can't hurt you anymore." Damon frowned at the fear still all over her face. She looked at him and nodded that she understood but still had a look of absolute panic in her eyes.
He was so sorry for everything their precious girl had been through. How would they ever make her feel safe again? She looked up at him weakly, her eyes were not even really focused on him or what he was saying at all. She looked like she was going to faint.
He started to untangle himself from her arms, pulling himself out of her death grip on him. She opened her mouth to object but he just put his finger against her lips and shushed her. "Trust me baby." She slowly let go of him nodding that she did trust him.
He vamp sped away from her and was back in a flash and quickly wrapped his black leather jacket around her and caught her as she fell into his arms exhausted. He felt her legs buckle underneath her and he picked her up holding her shaking body tight to him. She put her head against his bare chest as he slowly carried her across the room to the tomb.
He knew he needed to bring her to his brother, as much and wanted to speed her away from this horrible nightmare of a day and wrap her tightly in the sheets on his bed and never let go of her. Stefan was still trapped. He wouldn't be able to stop him, but no. Damon knew what he needed to do... Be the better man.
She smiled at him softly as she felt them moving toward the tomb. She was in awe of his selflessness right now. It was like he read her mind that she needed to find out how Stefan was; after almost dying. She moaned as her head rested against his strong chest.
He smiled stiffly back at her. He knew this was not what he wanted at all. But part of love was doing what you know the other person needs. He had grown through the hell this day had been. He was trusting that if she truly loved him, she would come back to him.
Hell, he wished he could give his brother a hug right now. He had watched and stayed with Elena when everything in him was screaming at him to save Stefan. Stefan had saved him so many times and he wanted so much to return the favor. Standing back and watching had been one of the hardest things he had ever done. And this right now was another one of those moments that just define you.
He looked down at her nestled into his arms, her eyes almost closed and he groaned. His need for her was that damn powerful. She had said she loved him. She had held him so tight and kissed him so deeply. He doubted she could fake those feelings, even when the wolf was forcing it on them. He had felt the sparks between them. And he prayed that she had too.
But everything about this day had been life and death. Maybe she would not have said it if he had not been moments away from dying. Maybe she regretted it. He pushed that thought out of his head. Not now. He knew they needed to talk, but this was not the time. She needed Stefan and he knew that his brother needed her. And as hard as it was to let go at that moment, he smiled to himself how much loving her had been changing him.
Damon bent and pressed his lips to her forehead, softly and tenderly. She looked up at him and smiled tiredly with her eyes. He passed her to Ric at the magic barrier and he carried her into the tomb and laid her beside Stefan. Damon saw his baby brother nod at him and whisper a thank you to him, probably knowing how hard that must have been to bring Elena to him after everything.
Stefan buried his face in her hair, tears just streaming down his face in relief. She didn't even know what Brody had said to him about what he was going to do to her and he could not believe she was in his arms and he was alive!
Damon was already heading towards the wolfs bag by the door and picked up the bolts cutters and called to Ric. He passed them to him and knelt by Elena and Stefan. Stefan held her wrist out and he snapped the cuff off her. She pulled her wrist free finally of the wretched metal, and laid against Stefan, pulling Damon's leather jacket tighter around her as she shivered again.
She was so strong despite everything she had been through, Stefan thought as he felt her shiver. And it felt so good to hold her...so good. He sighed, hearing her heart beating and feeling her relax more in his arms. She was finally safe. They were all safe and alive. He pulled her closer and just lay there breathing against her neck.
He could feel the healing in his body working to repair the wound in his chest, getting him stronger and stronger. She was laying almost under him, his strong arms on either side of her head and he just held her like that as if time was frozen.
She just melted into him, feeling the fear and terror from all she had been through slowly fade away the longer he held her to him. She had seen him dying. The gray lines that had been creeping up his skin as the wolf got the stake closer to his heart had been gut wrenching to watch.
She knew too how badly Damon had been fighting within himself to stay with her or go to save his brother. He had felt like it was ripping him apart inside. She did the only thing she could and held onto him so tightly, comforting him. And now she was desperate to comfort Stefan. He had been through so much all because of his past and Katherine's.
She had heard the whole horrific story and Stefan sounded like as much as he was resisting the truth, he had admitted to it. But she did not believe it. Especially with him still being a human way back then.
Stefan was a rescuer that felt anyone's pain like it was his own. He had saved his brother many times and had saved her more times than she could count. He was the one that pulled her out of the submerged car or she would have drowned with her parents.
She could not wrap her mind around any of it. There had to be more to it. Sure she knew he had been a ripper and killed a lot of people and that his blood lust was off the charts on human blood. But as a human? No, it wasn't possible.
She sat up more and just held him, comforting him as much as he was soothing her. She could see Damon, past Stefan's shoulder. He was looking at her, intensely. She looked back with equal intensity, lost in his gorgeous blue eyes. But then she bent down, hiding her head against Stefan's chest. Her heart was a jumble of emotions and she had no idea what they all meant. She didn't have the strength to sort them out now. But soon.
Damon turned away from the scene in front of him after she looked away from him. Damn, he wished he could read her mind right then. He wanted to ask her what this all meant. But now was not the time. He had to get his mind off of everything he was feeling for Elena and focused his attention on defending them all. They could all protect her now. But he was still on edge looking at the doorway in case the wolf came back.
He wrapped the chains around his fists as a weapon but still prayed this nightmare was finally over. He had thought she might have been safer if he had rushed her away to the mansion, but who knew what was out there between here and there. And it was a full moon, so he didn't know if that was the right decision for her or him.
"He could still come back." He whispered to Ric, his eyebrow raised in a question. What should they do? Ric just nodded to him and started to speak.
"Damon, it's okay. I came with..." But his voice was drowned out.
Suddenly they heard a crash and all turned in the direction of the crypt entrance.
If the wolf had turned, they could all be dead in an instant. Stefan thought, holding Elena tighter to his bare chest but putting himself between whatever it was and her fragile body as she was startled from the sound and was shaking again in his arms.
It sounded like cement was cracking and then they saw…
Elijah! He was walking slowly down the steps towards them. He was dragging Brody, still in his human form by the neck down the steps against the wall. His suit jacket was rolled up a bit at the sleeves and his tie slightly undone but otherwise he looked just like he had when he had confronted Elena and Damon at Slater's loft; a picture of strength, confidence and immortal power.
Brody's feet were not even touching the ground as he was kicking and growling at him. But Elijah just looked at him and sighed. He was no match for an Original, even being almost in transition.
The Original vampire looked around the room at everyone and sighed disapprovingly.
Stefan had stood up, still holding Elena tightly to him. He passed a look between pissed off and surprise to Damon, who was standing in the center of the crypt in silence at seeing Elijah again.
Stefan found his voice first and finally gasped out. "You were... dead?"
He looked back and forth between his older brother, Ric and Elijah for some kind of explanation. He remembered that the last time he saw Elijah, was when Damon had staked him with a coat rack against the door in the abandoned house where Rose took Elena. He had watched him turn all veiny and gray. He had watched him die? Hadn't he?
"For centuries now." Elijah drawled, tightening his grip on the throat of the kicking snarling wolf.
Stefan just stared at him, mouth open in shock.
Damon shrugged uncomfortably. "Brother about that..." He started to say.
"You knew!" Stefan interrupted him, eyes wide, full of questions for his brother.
Damon looked down not wanting to meet his angry gaze. "Well, you were kinda not in a position to do anything about it anyway. Getting yourself stuck in here." He shrugged again.
"How did you..." Stefan started, turning back to Elijah, but then quickly pulled Elena behind him to protect her.
"No, no. There is no need." Elijah spoke smoothly to Stefan, his hands up as a sign of peace. "I can assure you, I'm not here to harm any of you."
Stefan let out the breath he was holding. His body had gone rigid at the thought of another threat.
"And as for the how...lets just say, I can't die." He smiled and looked around at everyone.
"You on the other hand..." He turned to Brody. "I'm in shock at seeing what you have done to these young kids. I was sure I told you this morning wolf, to stay away from my doppelganger!"
Elijah looked around the room and at the state of the three young people. "This..." He motioned with his free hand. "Does not look like you heard me."
Brody was gasping and turning red in Elijah's iron grip. "Did I not enunciate? What did you not understand?" He looked expectantly at Brody, actually waiting for an answer, when the wolf could barely breath. He nodded rapidly looking like his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. "I, I, I." Was all he could get out.
"How.. how did you know?" Stefan stuttered, not having any idea that Elijah was watching Elena.
"I always keep an eye on my valuables." Elijah replied calmly. "We have much to discuss gentleman, and of course the lovely Elena, once you are recovered. The doppelganger must be protected. Especially from the likes of him." He looked back at Brody.
Stefan didn't know quite what to make of everything Elijah said but he was grateful all the same. "Thank you." He nodded to him. "Thank you, for protecting Elena. I am sorry for the part I played in trying to kill you. I was protecting Elena."
Stefan looked firmly at him. "I will always, protect Elena." He hugged her closer as he spoke making sure he knew what he meant. Elena nodded to him as well and smiled.
Elijah nodded back in understanding. The doppelganger was safe here. As long as they could keep the wolves away.
Then he turned his attention to Brody. His bones started cracking again and Elijah just smiled at him while effortlessly holding him against the wall. With his other hand he turned and looked at his watch. "Ah yes, I guess it is about that time. We can't have that."